See The Sun
by Liesel Meminger
Summary: Joseph is getting married. Can Clarisse win his love before it’s too late?
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: It all belongs to Disney and Meg Cabot.

Summary: Joseph is getting married. Can Clarisse win his love before it's too late?

A.N.: This is gonna be a multi-chaptered fic, though I don't know how many chapters it will be. I know this one is short, but I promise the others will be longer. I've already written the second chapter, so tell me if it's worth posting!

Prologue

Clarisse sat alone in her office, her head resting on her hands. She was exhausted. She had been working since the early hours of the morning, just signing papers; she didn't feel her hand anymore.

Taking a little break from the work, she moved to the window and looked outside. She let the rays of the sun bathe her face; she had always loved it, feeling the sun on her. One of her favorite things was get up early to see the sun rise, and even more, watch the sunset. It was something she had not time to do anymore. Moving her gaze from the sky to the garden, she admired the view. Oh, how beautiful the sight was. The well-kept garden, the beautiful flowers and… and then she saw him. Joseph was walking through the gardens in the direction of the castle. He had obviously just got in, for the car was still at the gates. "Oh, dear Joseph", she thought, "What were you doing in Pyrus again?"

This had become a routine. Almost everyday, Joseph would get one of the sports car and drive to Pyrus, spending hours there doing God-knows-what. Clarisse never asked him what he was doing there, and he would never comment it with anybody. It was clearly something important, for it was taking so much of his time. Joseph didn't even seem the same anymore. Clarisse couldn't tell what, but something about him was definitely different. He started neglecting his job. More than once, he had sent one of the security men to watch over Clarisse in meetings and parties, and that was so unlike him. He would never do that, unless it was a very good reason. She kept wondering what was taking her dear Joseph so much time, but she figured that if there was any problem he would tell her.

So deep in her thoughts occupied by the man that held her heart, no matter how hard she tried to forget him, she didn't notice the knock on the door and was startled when heard it opening.

"Your Majesty", Joseph stood on her doorway.

"Oh, Joseph" she looked down to the garden to make sure he was no longer in the gardens, that it was not her imagination making things up.

"Clarisse", he decided to throw the formalities away. "I've got something really important to tell you"

The happiness was evident in his voice.

"Say it, then"

Surprising both of them, he picked her up and spoon her around. He was laughing, and feeling good because he was happy, she started laughing too. After a few seconds, he put her down, but continued to hold her. Clarisse couldn't think; his strong arms held her and she felt safe, she was lost in his eyes, his face so close to hers…

"Clarisse, I…" his voice trailed off. He cleared his throat.

"Yes?" she encouraged him.

"Clarisse, I'm getting married"

She had never experienced such pain in her life.

A.N.: No reviews, no chapters.


	2. I've lost you before I had you

Chapter 2 – I've lost you before I had you

"Clarisse, I'm getting married"

She had never experienced such pain in her life.

Somehow, she managed to fight the lump forming on her throat and find her voice:

"What?" ok, not what you would call a progress with that lump, but it was the best she could do at the moment.

"I know! Isn't it great?" She hadn't failed to notice that his arms were still around her.

"But Joseph, what, I mean, who?"

"Her name is Heather Morrison. She works for the Pyrus Art Museum, and we met at that exhibition of the Best Genovian Contemporaneous Works. You remember, don't you, that one that the Prime Minister escorted you himself?"

Best Genovian Contempo… Yes, she remembered that like it was yesterday. She had worn a light blue dress, and Joseph had commented on how beautiful she was… But that had only been…

"Six months ago", she said softly, more to herself than to Joseph.

"Yes"

Clarisse freed herself from his arms, and went to the window. The sun was already gone by now.

"But, Joseph, six months? Don't you think is a bit too early to be married?"

"And when you suggest I get married?" he asked playfully.

_Never_, she thought. _Not with some other woman._

"I'm not getting any younger, Clarisse. I finally found the right woman for me, and I thought I'd better settle down before time passes me by." There was a twinkle in his eyes.

He talked about that woman with so much passion, it made Clarisse want to cry. She envied Heather, because she had something that Clarisse, no matter how bad she wanted it, never would get: She had Joseph.

Clarisse felt tears well up in her eyes. She turned her back to him, and rapidly wiped her tears away, hoping he hadn't noticed.

"So, this woman… Ms. Morrison, when will I meet her?" as much as it would pain her, she had to meet this Heather woman, see what Joseph had seen in her.

"I and she are going to have lunch in Pyrus tomorrow. You can come with us, if you want."

No, she did not want.

"Are you sure it's fine?" she asked, hoping that he would say no.

"Of course it is, Clarisse. So, lunch tomorrow, then?" he smiled at her. Oh, how she loved those smiles.

"Yes" she smiled, hoping he did not notice how hard it was on her face muscles.

He walked to her, kissed her on the forehead, and headed to the door.

"I'm going now, have to tell the great news to Charlotte" he smiled once again and left.

She was dreaming. It had to be a dream, a very, very, very bad dream indeed. It just couldn't be true. She couldn't believe that Joseph, her dear Joseph, was getting married. Okay, so, he'd never been 'her' dear Joseph, and now, surely he would never be.

In a completely _un-queen-like_ manner, she backed herself against the wall and slide down to the floor, cradling her head in her hands. Thinking about her meeting with Joseph's fiancée tomorrow, she started crying silently. The silent cry turned into sobs, as she thought about how his marriage would affect her. In the floor she stayed, letting the shock and the pain wave away, as well as her love for him. Okay, maybe that wouldn't go away with some tears. Maybe that wouldn't go away ever. But what could she do now? She couldn't let him know about her feelings. That wasn't hard, since she had been denying her feelings for him for 25 years now, and she very well could do it until the last day of her life.

And he seemed so happy with Heather. His eyes were shining, he was always smiling, and he didn't seem Joseph at all. This woman really changed him. There was no doubt he was in love, deeply in love. And that realization broke Clarisse's heart. All she ever wanted was to Joseph to be happy, but she had always thought that he would be most happy with her, in the castle. Oh, how silly of her. She had never expressed her love to him, how could he know? But she had hoped, oh she had, that he would love her and tell her that, so she wouldn't look like a fool if she chose to tell him and had her feelings not returned. But this was not how things turned up. She wanted to scream out of the top of her lungs that he couldn't get married. But deep inside, she wanted him to be. If that's what made him happy, then let Joseph be happy, even if that meant marry another woman. She was not happy with his decision, but she would do nothing to make him change his mind. No, she wouldn't tell him about her feelings. Never.

Clarisse stood up, wiped her tears away in an attempt to compose her, and, deciding that no more work could be done today, left her office and went to her suite. As she walked trough the corridors, Joseph's engagement seemed to be the gossip of the year. On her way to the suite, she heard the maids wondering if Joseph's fiancée was as beautiful as the Queen. Probably she was, thought Clarisse. She was going to find out tomorrow.

Opening the door to her rooms, Clarisse felt the tears threatening to fall once more. But they wouldn't be allowed, not this time. She fought the urge to jump in her bed and bury her head in her pillow, and instead, sat on the sofa and picked up a book, knowing she would not understand a word of it. Her mind wouldn't focus. Staring blankly at the cover of the book, Clarisse thought about having lunch tomorrow with Joseph's dream woman. How would Heather be like? Probably blonde, skinny and beautiful. At the end, all the men were alike, always going for the more beautiful ones, thought Clarisse with a sigh. Oh, but not Joseph, he was different, she was sure of it. And about Heather, Clarisse would have to wait for the right time to come for her to worry.

"Worry never fixes anything", Clarisse said to herself and opened the book, trying not to worry about tomorrow.

_TBC_

A.N.: Thank you all for the reviews. I'll need more of those if you want me to keep posting ;D I'm writing chapter 3.


	3. First Time I Saw Your Face

Chapter 3 – First Time I Saw Your Face

Clarisse slowly opened her eyes. Trying to sit down, she found out that her neck was hurting badly. Looking around the room, she discovered she was still on her couch, the book she was trying to read hours ago had long gone to rest on the floor. Looking out the window, she saw it was still dark outside.

Clarisse couldn't understand why she had fallen asleep on the couch in the first place. She was dizzy, her eyes felt heavy and her eyelids wanted to close although she wasn't tired at all. Then it all came back to her: Joseph, Heather, marriage, meeting tomorrow with the bride-to-be. So, it hadn't been a dream after all. She glanced at the clock and it said 11:30 p.m. Knowing that she wouldn't be able to sleep now, Clarisse decided to head to the kitchen for a cup of tea and maybe after that, a restless night's sleep.

Fortunately, the whole castle was fast asleep by now. As Clarisse walked through the empty and dark corridors, she thought that she was going to meet Heather in just a few hours from now. Surprisingly, she didn't feel the urge to cry this time. She had cried too much already, it was like she had no more tears left to be shed.

Reaching the door that lead to the kitchen, Clarisse hadn't imagined finding it open, nor had she imagined that someone else would already be there, with a steaming cup of tea in hands.

"Your Majesty"

"Charlotte! What are you doing here this late?"

"The same as you, Your Majesty. Waiting for sleep to come" she answered softly. Looking at her, Clarisse thought that Charlotte didn't seem the same: she was pale, her eyes were dull and her voice was barely over a whisper. Certainly she had been crying. But, why? Could it be that Charlotte was…? Oh, no, she couldn't be in love with Joseph as well. She was dating Shades, so she couldn't love someone else, could she?

"Have you been crying, Charlotte?" Clarisse found it better to ask her plain and simple.

"Yes", her answer was short.

"Why?"

"Isn't it obvious?"

"Charlotte…"

"I'm sorry, Your Majesty, it's just this whole thing about Joseph getting married"

That was it. She was in love with him too. _Oh, Heavens, _thought Clarisse. The only thing she could do now was confirm it. She took a deep breath and said:

"Are you in love with him, Charlotte?"

Charlotte let out a cold laugh, as tough she was expecting this question.

"No, I'm not"

"Then why are you crying? Please, tell me Charlotte."

"It's because of you, Your Majesty. You're like a mother to me, I couldn't stand seeing you suffering" Charlotte said, looking into the eyes of the other woman.

Surely Clarisse hadn't been expecting this. She was speechless.

"Are you in love with him?" Charlotte's words mimicked Clarisse's.

Felling Charlotte's firm gaze upon her, Clarisse felt she could do nothing but tell her the truth.

"Yes, I am." She answered quietly, mid-hoping that Charlotte hadn't heard. Charlotte's sad smile told her that she heard.

"I've knew all along. That's why I cried throughout the whole afternoon. He is getting married, Your Majesty! And are you going to let him slip through your hands?"

"What do you suggest I do, Charlotte?"

"Tell him you love him, of course! You have nothing to lose, and you'll always regret if you don't"

"I couldn't possibly do that. He is happy now, so let him be"

"So, that's it, then? You've lost the battle, and are giving up on the war?" Charlotte's voice held a tone Clarisse had never heard before.

"Charlotte, dear, there is no war. I lost; he's getting married to Heather"

"You didn't even try. Clarisse, please" it was the first time she was saying her name, and it came out naturally, as she had been calling Clarisse by her name her whole life, " if Joseph get married to this Heather woman, the atmosphere in the castle will be just unbearable. You'll suffer, and seeing you suffering, I'll suffer, and seeing me suffer, Shades will suffer, and, well, you got the picture", she smiled, in an attempt to make a joke. "Just promise you'll tell him"

"It's useless. He loves her."

"And what if he doesn't? He'll be committing the biggest mistake of his life, and you could prevent it."

"Don't be silly, Charlotte, of course he loves her. Do you think he would have proposed to her if he didn't?"

Charlotte smiled a mysterious smile before saying:

"You don't know if he proposed to her."

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing. I've heard Joseph saying you will be having lunch with them tomorrow."

"Yes, I will" answered Clarisse, not forgetting the mysterious words Charlotte had said earlier.

"Great, then. When you're with them, watch them. The looks, the words they use with each other. And by the time you get back to the castle, you tell me if you're going to tell him you love him or not."

"Charlotte…" Clarisse pleaded.

"Please, Your Majesty. Just think about it"

The look in Charlotte's eyes was so sincere that Clarisse had to give in.

"All right, I'll think about it. It doesn't mean I'm going to tell him, though"

Charlotte said nothing, just smiled and, holding her cup of tea firmly on her hands, stood up and walked to the door.

"Good night, Your Majesty"

"Good night, Charlotte", Clarisse said, and, just as the younger woman was about to close the door behind her, she called again, "And, Charlotte?"

"Yes?"

Clarisse smiled and said:

"Call me Clarisse"

Charlotte smiled and nodded, closing the door.

Clarisse stood on her balcony, already dressed up, just waiting for Joseph to come and pick her up. She stared at the sun, wanting to feel it upon her. Just then, she heard a knock on the door.

"Clarisse? Are you ready?"

She would be having lunch with the lovebirds today. No, she wasn't ready at all.

"Yes, I am." Glancing at the sun one more time, she sighed and went to join Joseph on the corridors.

Clarisse could swear she had seen Joseph's eyes lit up when he laid eyes on her. Or it was just her imagination? But she was sure she saw that momentarily twinkle in his eyes. Probably it was just the anticipation of meeting his fiancée.

"Shall we?" asked him, offering her his arm. She said nothing, just took his arm and they both proceeded to walk down the corridor.

The trip to Pyrus was uncomfortable to Clarisse, to say the least. Joseph sat on the backseat with, something he didn't do very often. All the way he talked about how he met Heather, how their first date was like, and in what their relationship consisted in. More than one, Clarisse felt the tears welling up in her eyes, but they wouldn't fall, oh no, she wouldn't let them. As Joseph talked animatedly about anything and everything concerning his fiancée, Clarisse thought that she had never seen him this happy. She remembered the words Charlotte said last night, and wondered how could the younger woman really think that there might be a chance for Clarisse? _"Tell him you love him, of course!", _that's what she had said, but Clarisse had made up her mind: the minute Joseph started talking about Heather, she knew that there's no chance that he was not in love with her.

"Clarisse?" his voice awoke her of her wonderings.

"Oh, sorry Joseph, what is it?"

"We're here" he smiled and got out the car. As he made his way around the car to open the door for her, Clarisse sighed and prepared herself for what was about to come.

With Joseph holding the car door open for her, Clarisse stepped out and looked around her: they were in the middle of Pyrus, circled by little shops and pubs and restaurants. The particular one they're going to have lunch was named "Curtain", and had been opened just a few months ago.

"Where is she, Joseph?" Clarisse asked when they entered the restaurant.

"She is right there, in the corner." Joseph said and pointed to the woman at the far end of the restaurant, in a more reclusive table. She waved to him, and in the few seconds that took them to reach the table, Clarisse took notice of everything about the woman's looks: she was probably in her mid-forties, she had a long brown hair with gentle curls, and her eyes matched the color of her hair. She was not beautiful, but not ugly. She was the kind of woman that would look stunning when wearing make-up, covered with jewels and wearing a fancy dress. But on the day-by-day, she was just… normal. Her skin was whiter than paper, she was about Clarisse's size, and skinny, really skinny. They finally reached the table, putting and end to Clarisse's observations.

"Clarisse, may I introduce you Heather Morrison, my fiancée", said Joseph with a proud smile.

"Oh, my, my, if it's not the Queen of Genovia herself." Heather said loudly. Clarisse flinched at the sound of her voice: it was awful. She just couldn't quite describe it, but her voice seemed far too loud and far too treble. Clarisse couldn't imagine how Joseph survived six months listening to this voice, when she herself had heard just once and wished to never hear it again.

"How nice to finally meet you, Ms. Morrison" Clarisse said, preparing herself for the voice she knew would come.

"I think we can throw the formalities away, now, darling." Clarisse had just met the woman and she was already calling her 'darling'. No one called Clarisse 'darling'. "Well, I won't be calling you 'Your Majesty' all the time, will I?"

"No, I suppose you won't." muttered Clarisse under her breath.

"Oh, Joseph, sweetheart" Heather seemed to have just noticed Joseph. She intended to kiss him on the lips, but he turned his face and instead of his lips, her mouth met his cheek. Clarisse noticed that, of course. Just now, Charlotte's words came into her mind: _"When you're with them, watch them". _And that was exactly what she was doing.

"Joseph, baby, didn't you tell Clarisse that this is going to be a girl's day out?" Heather said to Joseph. When the words left Heather's mouth, Clarisse felt sick. Surely she didn't mean that she would have lunch alone with this woman? Oh, no, she needed Joseph to help her with it. Her initial intention was just to watch, watch them _together, _she didn't intend on having a 'girl's day out' with Heather.

"No, I didn't. I guess I forgot." He looked at Clarisse as if saying that he was sorry.

"Never mind. You can go now; Clarisse and I will be just fine." _Oh, no, we won't, _thought Clarisse.

"Clarisse? May I talk to you?" asked Joseph. He looked at Heather and she didn't seem to mind, for she was already sat in her chair, staring into space, seeming oblivious to the fact that she was not alone. Joseph held Clarisse's arm and they walked to the entrance of the restaurant.

"I'm so sorry, Clarisse. She called me last night and said she wanted to have lunch with you alone, so…" she cut him off.

"It's alright, Joseph." Oh, it was so _not _alright.

"Really?"

"Yes. I just wonder, what will you be doing in the meantime?"

"I don't know, I guess I'll hang out in the shops, or just drive around." He smiled. Neither of them could picture Joseph actually _shopping._ "So, just remember: if anything happens, I'm just a phone call away"

He stared deeply into her eyes, and she decided to speak before she was lost completely in them.

"I think I better go inside, Heather is waiting"

"Yes. And by the way, Clarisse, I know she may sound, ah, weird at the beginning, but she is a great woman"

"I'm sure she is. Bye, then, Joseph."

"Bye, Clarisse."

He turned and left, heading for the car. Clarisse waited for the car to leave, and only then she got back inside. Walking trough the tables in direction to where Heather sat, she thought that was impossible for this afternoon to turn into something good.

As she sat in front of Heather and smiled, she knew she was having lunch with no ordinary woman. Heather was the woman who held the heart of her beloved Joseph, and Clarisse was determined to find out everything about this woman. And if it meant that she would have to sit with this woman and listen to her dreadful voice the whole afternoon, that's what she would do. She sighed as Heather opened her mouth to speak, and Clarisse started having second thoughts about running away and leaving this woman talking to herself.

_TBC_

A.N.: Wow, that was a long one! I just wanna thank my reviewers for every review they sent me. The next chapter will take exactly where this one left off, so prepare yourself for a whole afternoon with Heather! ;D All reviews are welcome.


	4. Observe Your Enemies

Chapter 4 – Observe Your Enemies

Clarisse faked a smile as the woman sitting in front of her started talking animatedly. She was only half-listening: her mind was occupied in describing Heather more precisely, coming to the conclusion that she was the most inelegant person Clarisse had ever seen. She was wearing a knee-length lemon-green dress, the kind of color that would make your eyes crick. She wore a golden necklace with a ridiculously large and sparkling emerald, and bracelets and earrings with the same stone. But, Clarisse noticed with a frown, she wasn't wearing a ring.

"And then, when I saw Joseph in the Museum for the first time, I knew he was the right man for me" Heather's voice brought Clarisse back to earth. "Oh, Clarisse, you've got such a far-away look on your face. Are you still with me, darling?"

_Unfortunately._ "Sorry, Heather. I was just wondering, where's your engagement ring?" Clarisse was surprised with her own words. When had she started saying whatever was in her mind?

Heather laughed. A dreadful laugh. It sent shivers down Clarisse's spine, and not in a good way.

"Oh, darling, there's no engagement ring", she said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

That was strange, Clarisse wondered. Joseph wouldn't propose to Heather without getting a ring first. He was too much of a gentleman to do that. He wasn't rich, and his monthly payment couldn't afford some extravagances, but he told her once about his grandmother's ring he was saving… Or maybe, his love for Heather was so strong and overwhelming that he had blurted out the question in a moment of passion, thinking of nothing else… Clarisse rather didn't think about it.

"What do you mean, there's no ring? Certainly Joseph would have bought a ring before proposing to you"

Heather's smile got even bigger.

"So he didn't tell you?"

"Didn't tell me what?" Clarisse's curiosity was killing her, while Heather's smile was threatening to tear her face apart.

"Joseph didn't propose, I did!" she stated proudly.

"What?" The word was out of her mouth before she realized it.

"Yes, that's right" Heather said, excited to have someone to listen to her tale "When we completed six months together, I realized that he wasn't going to pop up the question anytime soon, so I decided to take matters into my own hands"

Clarisse was confused now. Joseph didn't ask Heather to marry him. So there might still be a chance. She suddenly understood what Charlotte's words from the previous night had meant. Her brain tried to focus on Heather again, just in the time to hear about how she had proposed to him.

"You see, when I said to him that we should marry, he was not excited at all, mind you. Oh, no, he was quite calm about it, I would say even cold. Didn't agree at first, said that it wouldn't work, me and him. Nonsense! We're perfect for each other, don't you think, darling? Anyway, after a few little words of convincing, he accepted"

Well, this sure wasn't what Clarisse had been expecting. She'd imagined a romantic setting, a little bit of star gazing after a candle-light dinner, with Joseph kneeling down. But, wait, Clarisse had imagined that that would be the way Joseph would propose to her, not to Heather.

Clarisse was awakened from her thoughts from what seemed the millionth time that afternoon, this time by the waiter who had just brought their orders. Clarisse was having spaghetti, while Heather was having something that apparently consisted in green vegetables plus green vegetables. _Great,_ thought Clarisse, _she is the type of woman that just doesn't eat._ No wonder she was skinny, so skinny that Clarisse was starting to worry about her health. As if sensing her thoughts, Heather looked up at the woman in front of her, then at her meal, and said in a disgusted voice:

"Oh, darling, you're not eating _this_, are you?"

Clarisse herself glanced down at her meal.

"What is wrong with spaghetti?"

"Oh, nothing, darling. Nothing if you don't consider how much weight this will add to your body" Heather's tone implied that she wanted to add _"and you cannot give yourself the privilege of gaining more weight"_

Watching the woman slowly eat her salad like it was something sent from heaven, Clarisse wondered if this had been the reason why Joseph had fallen for Heather and not for herself. Clarisse didn't think so, but surely in the men's eyes Heather was more attractive than her. She had the body of a model, while Clarisse was just normal. She was young, while Clarisse was 'way over the hill'. And Heather, Clarisse thought with a sigh, was undoubtedly more beautiful than herself. Apart from the tiara that sometimes lay on the top of her head, Clarisse had nothing that would catch the others attention. Pushing her thoughts aside, she began to eat her spaghetti, but not forgetting Heather's words about her weight.

When they finished their meal, the waiter came once again to take away their plates and to offer a dessert. Heather profusely refused, saying that she was trying to avoid sweets, and Clarisse, who had been thinking about a chocolate mousse, sadly turned down the offer as well. They paid the check, or more precisely, Clarisse did ("Oh, darling, I didn't bring my purse. You don't mind, do you?"), and then went out in the streets of Pyrus. Clarisse wondered where her body guard was, and as she was about to ask the other woman if she knew about his whereabouts, Joseph himself appeared at her side.

"Had a pleasant meal, ladies?" He asked with a smile.

"The most, sweetheart!" said Heather delighted. She grabbed Clarisse's hand "Clarisse here and I are soon becoming the best of friends, aren't we, darling?"

_No, we are not_ "I suppose we are" smiled Clarisse as well.

Joseph seemed to notice Clarisse's hesitation. Looking at her questionably, he asked:

"Where are the both of you going now?"

"I think some shopping now would do us very good, what do you think, Clarisse?" Heather said, turning to the woman by her side.

"Actually, I was thinking about going back to the castle. I'm a little tired and I can feel a headache coming"

"Nonsense, darling! You can't be tired, we haven't done anything!" What she didn't know was that Clarisse _had_ done a lot that afternoon, just trying to block the access of Heather's voice into her mind, unsuccessfully. She knew that that was the cause of her forming headache.

"Heather", said Joseph firmly, "I think Clarisse said that she was tired. We're heading back to the castle"

Heather's eyes widened in shock. No one has ever spoken to her in such a manner! It was almost like Joseph was controlling himself not to shout at her. How could he be so insensitive? She was his fiancée; he was not supposed to treat her that way. And how could Clarisse refuse her company?

"Okay, then, if that's what you want, darling", she said to Clarisse, faking a smile to mask her hurt.

Clarisse nodded her head at Heather, just as the limousine approached the group. She was startled; she hadn't heard Joseph calling the chauffeur. Smiling once again, she waved goodbye to Heather and entered the limousine, Joseph holding the door open for her. From inside the car she could still see the two other people, and she saw how Joseph had turned his face just in time so Heather wouldn't kiss his lips, just as he had done in the restaurant a couple hours ago. She was still smiling to herself when Joseph entered the limousine, sitting beside her, in the same spot he had sat on the drive to Pyrus.

"What you're smiling about, Your Majesty?" he asked playfully.

"Nothing, Joseph. Nothing" She sighed as she laid her head on the back of the seat.

"Heather tired you out, huh?"

She smiled.

"A little bit"

"Just a little bit? Anything about Heather comes into small proportions." He laughed.

She looked at him confused.

"Do I want to know what you mean?"

"No, you probably don't" he answered, and, just like her, rested his head on the back of the backseat.

The road back to the castle was silent. Clarisse thought about the afternoon she spent with Heather, the mean comments about her weight, and how unfitting for Joseph the other woman seemed. They just didn't… connect. Of course she had just seen them together for a couple minutes, but still, nothing would change her mind. They weren't made for each other, to disagree with what Heather had said. Joseph didn't seem to have realized that the chances of him being happy with Heather were close to zero. Was it up to Clarisse to make him finally see what was in front of him?

She couldn't help the thought that suddenly entered her mind: There was one woman that would be perfect for Joseph. That woman was Clarisse Renaldi. If she was going to make him see that, well, that was another story.

_TBC_

A.N.: FINALLY! Here it is, another chapter. That one really tired me out! It isn't my best piece, but, all reviews are welcomed. I'm thinking about write more parts in Heather's POV, so we could understand her better. What you guys think? Yes, no, or you don't care?

Ursaa – Thank you so much. Well, I'm gonna tell you a secret: I don't like Heather either. But Joseph does, right?

Liz – I love your reviews! And YES, Heather's voice is exactly like Miss Fine's. I'm thinking of putting a comment like that on the next chapter.

Captain Weirdo – Well, 'darling', here is the progress of the afternoon. Please tell me what you think.

Misslivy – Thank you so much! Oh, yeah, she sounds nasty. But he is getting married to her. Or is he?

Tommys my 21 – So what do you think; will they or won't they get married?

For my others reviewers, you guys ROCK.


	5. Planning Is the Key to Success

Chapter 5 – Planning Is the Key to Success

Clarisse closed the door of her office behind her. It had been such an exhausting afternoon. Heather's voice still rang on her ears, and that was not helping with her headache at all. She sat down at her desk in order to make some progress with her now neglected work, but found it impossible. A loud knock sounded at her door.

"Come in", she said softly.

Charlotte entered the room with a tea trail in her hands. Clarisse said a prayer for the heavens above for sending her an assistant that could read her mind.

Without a word, Charlotte served Clarisse's tea and placed some headache pills on her desk. She then sat down on the chair opposite Clarisse's desk and looked at her while the older woman sipped her tea. After a few minutes of waiting, Charlotte spoke:

"Are you going to tell me?"

"Tell you what?" asked Clarisse innocently.

"What happened today in Pyrus?"

"What do you want to know?"

"I want a detailed report on how this Heather looks like, and how Joseph acted around her." Charlotte couldn't contain her curiosity.

"In fact, Joseph didn't have lunch with us. It was only me and Heather." Clarisse sighed, tired, and proceed to describe to Charlotte, in details, how the afternoon with Joseph's fiancée had been, emphasizing her lack of sense of the ridiculous and her awfully nasal voice.

The more Charlotte listened, the more her smile grew wider. This was going to be way easier than she had thought. She'd feared that Heather would be too much like Clarisse, but she knew now that it was going to be really easy to show Joseph what he was missing. In fact, she already had a few ideas on her mind, all of them waiting for Clarisse's approval. Or maybe, she wouldn't even wait for Clarisse's approval; she could do all by herself, couldn't she?

"Summing up, Heather is your opposite, completely. Isn't she?"

"Yes, I suppose you could say so."

"Great! This is exactly what we needed" said Charlotte, visibly excited.

Clarisse looked confused at her.

"What are you planning on doing, Charlotte?" asked Clarisse, fearing the response.

"I can't tell you now, Your Majesty, but in time you'll know." said Charlotte enigmatically.

"But, Charlotte…" started Clarisse, but the other woman cut her off.

"Now, Your Majesty, we have work to do." Said Charlotte, changing the subject as if they weren't talking about anything important earlier.

"Not now, Charlotte. This headache is killing me."

"We still have to go over all the details of Mia's arrival tomorrow."

If Clarisse's head wasn't spinning before, it sure was right now. She had forgotten that Mia would be arriving tomorrow! She reprehended herself; why she forgot about her own granddaughter? Oh, yes, she remembered now, it was entire Joseph's and Heather's fault. Well, they were the ones to blame, not her.

As they talked about Mia's arrival, Clarisse could feel her headache slowly fading away, thanks to the pills Charlotte had brought.

Òòòòòòòòòò.

"Grandma!" cried a girl's voice in the Genovia's Airport.

"Amelia." Smiled Clarisse in a much less enthusiastic manner.

The girl came struggling with a great number of bags.

"Where are these carrying boys when we need them?" the young woman muttered under her breath. "Anyways, I missed you, Grandma!" she smiled and hugged Clarisse, dropping her ridiculously big bags on the floor.

"I missed you too, dear"

"You're here too, Joe!" Mia noticed the men dressed all in black standing a few feet behind her grandma, and hugged him too.

"Glad to see you, Mia" Joseph hugged her back.

"And where's Charlotte?"

"She chose to stay in the castle. She had some things she had to get done" answered Joseph.

"Shall we go?" interrupted Clarisse.

"Yes, Your Majesty." Said Joseph, helping Mia with her luggage. The trio exited the airport and entered the limousine waiting for them outside heading back to the castle.

As Mia had requested, Joseph sat on the backseat, beside her, both of them were chatting animatedly. Mia talked about what was going on in San Francisco, and Joseph told her about the on goings of Genovia (not that there was much to tell). But in the entire drive from the airport to the castle, Joseph hadn't mentioned that he was getting married, which, of course, didn't go unnoticed by Clarisse. It was just her imagination or the man who just a few days ago had ran in her office to tell her happily that he was getting married, wanted to avoid the subject? Maybe he was already having second thoughts about getting married to Heather? Maybe, but that would be too good to be true, Clarisse hadn't even started to _work her magic_. Whatever that was supposed to mean.

As soon as they entered the palace gates, they saw Charlotte standing at the entrance, along with the guards. She had a big and mostly uncharacteristic smile on her face. A smile Clarisse didn't want to discover the meaning of.

"Your Highness!" cried Charlotte as Mia exited the car, and they immediately started talking and catching up like old friends, leaving the others behind. Clarisse, who was too tired to even think about staying in the company of Joseph, slowly ascended the stone steps that led to the hall of the castle. Joseph followed her without her knowing, and watched when she made her way to the library, but changed her mind halfway, and then again the same thing with her office and finally deciding on a quiet walk on the gardens.

He thought about leaving her alone with her musings, but decided against when he noticed how lonely she looked. She wasn't like that yesterday, he was sure of that. And not even this morning, during the drive to the airport to pick up Mia. What had caused her sudden change of behavior? He watched as she sat on one of the benches, with her head bent down. _That's enough_, he thought. _I'm going to speak with her._

He carefully approached her, but didn't sit down at her side, only watched her from a small distance.

"Clarisse" he finally said, after a few minutes of watching her staring into space.

"Oh, Joseph, you almost gave me a heart attack" she said startled, but turning to him with a weak smile on her face.

"Are you alright?" he asked, sitting down on the bench, beside her.

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"You look…" he tried to find the right word, "Lonely"

Clarisse turned her head from him, and firmed her gaze on her hands. He had just summed up in one word everything she had been feeling since he told her he was getting married. It seemed a lifetime ago, but only two days had passed.

"No, I don't. I'm just tired, that's all" she said, and the look on Joseph's face told her he didn't believe it one bit.

"Are you sure it's just that, Clarisse?" he asked. She hadn't convinced him, but he knew that when she wanted to talk, if she wanted, she would come to him. There was no point in insisting now, when she clearly wasn't on the mood for talking.

"Yes, I'm sure" she sighed, hoping that he would just leave her. Things were so much easier when he was not so close to her.

"Good" Joseph said. Then he seemed to remember something "I called Heather today, and she said that she is really looking forward to meeting you again."

"I suppose she is. I mean, I am, too." Said Clarisse.

"Well, you see, what Heather actually said was…" started Joseph, but stopped when he realized Clarisse had stood up.

"I'm sorry, Joseph, but I have a lot of work to get done, and I can't just sit there and chat" without waiting for his reply, she left him alone in the gardens, wondering what the hell has gotten into her.

Òòòòòòòòòò.

"Mia, you can't tell anyone I told you. And, when he tells you, you have to act surprised. Understood?" Charlotte said.

"Yessir!" answered Mia playfully.

The two women were at the princess' suite, and Charlotte had just told Mia about Joseph's engagement. She hadn't plan to do it, but she figured out Mia could end up helping her with her plans.

"So, what exactly is the plan you said you had in mind?" asked Mia.

"I'll tell you, but first you have to swear you won't tell anybody, not even your grandmother"

"But Grandma should know…" Mia started to protest, but trailed off when she saw Charlotte's firm gaze upon her. "Okay, I swear."

"Great. Now, here is the plan…"

Mia's smile just grew wider and wider. It was perfect! They would get Joseph back to Clarisse in no time. But, if anything, any little thing went wrong, they could forget about Joseph not marrying Heather. They would have to work very carefully if they wanted a happy ending.

"When do we start?" asked Mia. She was eager to put the whole thing in action soon.

"Tomorrow" answered Charlotte with a smile.

"But, how?"

"Don't worry; I already took care of everything. Heather's spending the day here tomorrow"

Oh, Heavens. That would be a day to remember.

_TBC_

_A.N: so sorry for the delay, guys, it's just my school that's wearing me out! I have classes on Saturdays! Yeah, my school is freak! But anyway, here is another chapter, which took me an awfully long time to write. Review, please ;D_


	6. If the rain must fall

_A.N.: Please read the Author's Note in the end. Thank You._

Chapter 6 – If the rain must fall

Clarisse laid her forehead on the window glass, tired. She had been watching the sun set when suddenly started to rain heavily. The sky outside was dark and full of clouds; it looked like it wouldn't stop raining for a while. It was odd how the weather mirrored Clarisse's mood right now; she was upset, and the storm had only added a more melancholic tone to the situation.

Slowly she replayed the last day's events on her mind: Joseph storming into her office and telling her he was getting married, her first meeting with Heather, and Mia arriving just a few hours ago. And also, Joseph not telling Mia he was getting married. Her granddaughter had always loved to play the matchmaker, and Clarisse knew she will be overly excited about the whole thing when Joseph tells her. But the question was: Why didn't he tell Mia about the engagement? She really didn't want to think about it now, she was afraid she would get her hopes up for thinking too much.

Clarisse moved away from the window and started pacing the floor, almost colliding with her desk. She glanced regretfully at her desk, with so much paper spread all over it. How much work had she got done in these past three days? None, absolutely none. Nada. She sighed; if Genovia finds out that their Queen is neglecting the paperwork, the Von Trokens will be invited to take the throne. She let out a cold laugh; of course she would die before letting it happen. With a last look around her office, the Queen of Genovia decided to retire for an early night. She was too tired; she couldn't even keep her eyes open anymore. She opened the door and stepped into the hallway, barely noticing that Joseph, who was passing by, had stopped and opened his mouth to talk to her, she just walked by him with only one destination on her mind: her bed. Again, she had left Joseph wondering what had gotten into her, for the second time that day.

Óóóóóóóóó

Clarisse opened her eyes slowly and regretfully. She could hear Charlotte opening the blinds, and Mia chatting animatedly. It was done on purpose; they wanted to wake her.What was going on in the castle lately, a union against her? She looked at the two women in her bedroom and sighed; she had a strange feeling that today was going to be a long day.

"Thank God you're awake, Grandma. If you had slept a couple of minutes more, you would have been late." Said Mia cheerfully.

"Late for what, Amelia?" asked Clarisse, closing her eyes again, missing the nervous look Mia and Charlotte exchanged upon Mia's slip of the tongue.

"For breakfast, Your Majesty" answered Charlotte quickly.

The two women left the Queen to dress and went downstairs, were Joseph waited for them.

"You didn't tell her, did you?" he asked, knowing the answer.

"We didn't. Why bother? Let it be a surprise" said Mia.

'_I doubt this is going to be a surprise that she will like'_ thought Joseph, but kept his mouth shut. Over the years, he learned never to voice his opinions when Mia (and, this time, Charlotte also) was up to something. Just then, Clarisse appeared at the top of the stairs.

"Good morning, Your Majesty" greeted Joseph.

"Good morning" she mumbled, not even looking at him. Oh, boy. She was on a mood. This definitely was going to be a _long_ day.

She sat at the table, and slowly started pouring her tea, stifling a yawn. She was much too tired; she had hardly gotten any sleep the night before. All she could think of was about how she wanted to get back to her bed, but the pile of neglected work on her desk kept growing and growing.

Finishing her tea, she got up to leave, Joseph offering his arm to escort her to her office. They hadn't even walked two steps together when they both heard a voice that Clarisse had learned to loathe.

"Go-ood morning, darling!"

_Oh, no. __Oh, no, no, no. Let it be just my imagination, please. This is not real, not real… _Clarisse thought desperately.

Joseph smiled and walked over to Heather, placing a chaste kiss on her lips. It was the first time Clarisse had seen them kissing, and she fought the urge to walk over to the couple and separate them. Instead, she kept a smile upon her face and waited for Heather to notice her.

"So glad to see you, Clarisse! How are we today, uh?" asked Heather, walking over to the Queen and hugging her.

"I'm fine, Heather. How are you?" Clarisse tried her best to hide her uneasiness.

"Better now that I'm here" smiled Heather, and turned to Joseph "Darling, why don't you take my purse and put it somewhere, while I take a stroll in the gardens with Clarisse, uh?"

"Sure, Heather" he smiled once again and left, glancing at Clarisse. He could see in her eyes that she was not the least bit happy with the 'surprise'.

Heather had started moving to the door, but Clarisse remained on her spot.

"Aren't you coming, Clarisse?"

"Yes, of course. But I have a few things to do first, why don't you go ahead?"

Heather nodded and left, and Clarisse rushed out of the room (sorry, _hastened_) in search of the only two people that could possibly be involved in this.

Meanwhile, 'the-only-two-people-that-could-possibly-be-involved-in-this' were hiding in the Security Room, the last place Clarisse would think on looking. Or so they thought.

"I cannot believe you two did this! How dare you! You both betrayed me and…" started Clarisse, irritated and very different from her usual self.

"Whoa, slow down, grandma" said Mia. "Would you care to tell us what we did before you start yelling?"

"As if you don't know" mumbled Clarisse, calming down.

"Grandma, we don't…" started Mia, but Charlotte cut her off.

"Yes, we called Heather and asked her to come here today."

"I knew it!" said Clarisse, and it was visible that she would restart yelling at any moment.

"But we asked her here with a plan on mind, right, Mia?" Charlotte looked at Mia, hoping for some help from the girl.

"Right." Said Mia, not very sure of herself.

"And that plan would be…?" asked Clarisse in confusion.

Again Charlotte looked at Mia desperately. Mia sighed heavily and explained:

"Look, Grandma, it is no secret that Heather is complete and totally your opposite"

"And that is a good thing, I presume?"

"Of course!" said Mia as if she was teaching a three-year-old that two plus two is equal to four, and not five. "And we plan to show Joseph exactly what he's missing staying with Heather" Seeing Clarisse had a doubtful look on her face, she went on, reassuring her, "I know it doesn't sound convincing now, but it's what we have, so let' stick to the plan until we find something better, okay?"

"What do we have to do exactly?" asked Clarisse cautiously.

"Oh, that's the better part." Said Mia and Clarisse dreaded what was to come, "Nothing."

"Wh… What?" Clarisse asked, of course she hadn't heard correctly.

"You just have to be your usual self: elegant, caring, loving, sweet. Of course there'll be something you'll have to do to gain Joseph's attention, but that's not necessary right now. We're starting at the very beginning, so when Step One is completed, we move one to Step Two. Trust me, you and Heather are like Agatha Christie compared to Nora Roberts, complete opposites" laughed Mia, knowing Clarisse probably had never heard of Nora Roberts.

"And the winner is…?"

"Ms. Christie, of course, which is you. And, trust me, ALL the bets are on you." Mia grinned.

"I doubt it." Said Clarisse.

"Well, let's just say that I heard the maids talking about Heather, and they don't like her at all. They don't even know her, and are not willing to." Said Charlotte. Clarisse made a mental note for herself to try to remember just when Charlotte had changed so much.

"So, it's a plan?" asked Clarisse, smiling, her anger had faded away.

"It most certainly is!" screamed Mia.

"Now you go and start with step one. Joseph is out there in the gardens with Heather: you shouldn't leave them alone for long." Said Charlotte, grinning.

"Alright, then. Oh, and I'm sorry for my little outburst." Clarisse said softly.

"It's okay, Grandma. We know you have a lot on your plate right now." Said Mia.

"That reminds me, I cannot stay with Joseph and Heather all day, I have a lot of work to do!"

"Don't worry, it's all taken care of" said Charlotte, very proud of herself.

"But, how...?" started Clarisse, but recognized the look on Charlotte's face that told her she wouldn't get any answers from her assistant.

Clarisse smiled in thanks and left, leaving the other women overly excited about the action that was about to happen in the next few days.

"You know, Charlotte, I have a strange feeling that my vacations here will be very, very productive"

_TBC_

_A little bit of the next chapter:_

"_What in the name of the gods were they doing?" Clarisse thought. It all happened so fast; she thought she had seen them both hidden behind a tree, and Heather's hair was a bit messy, indeed. __Were they…? Oh, no, of course not. Not in the gardens, right? Oh, yes, they were. IN THE GARDENS? Where had gone the times when the intimacy between couples stayed behind close doors?"_

_Okay, guys, that's it for the time being. I'm so sorry that it took me so long to update, but I've got the writer's block. I'm looking for little challenges to help me get out of the block. I wrote a response to a Harry Potter challenge in order to help me, so if you guys want to challenge me to write something for PD, please do it. I need my PD muse back. Any suggestions, comments, constructive criticism is welcome. I'm gonna try to write and post the next chapter until the weekend, but I'm gonna need some feedback to help me get going. hint, hint I have a strange feeling that my writing is becoming less and less interesting, so I'm asking you guys to just stay with me, ok? Don't give up on this story._

_Oh, and by the way, the comment about Agatha Christie and Nora Roberts: I hope anyone got any offenses by it. Agatha Christie is my favorite writer, and I just love Nora Roberts. So, I didn't mean any offense, okay? They're equally great on what they write, its' just different styles. ;D_

_Love,_

_Duda_


	7. Never gonna give you up

Chapter 7 – Never gonna give you up

Clarisse stepped into the gardens and breathed in the scent of the flowers. Just perfect, her beautiful flowers were. She remembered when she had first stepped into this garden, so many years ago, and she would never forget how careless the gardeners were. That had changed, of course, when she'd become Rupert's consort. The gardens, along with the library, were her favorite parts of the castle; the places were she could be simply herself.

She looked around and was surprised when she didn't find Heather. Hadn't she said she would be here, waiting for Clarisse? Well, Clarisse thought, better without her. She wanted to be alone for a while to think and digest what had been said in the Security Room. So the plan was to make the differences between Heather and Clarisse evident. Weren't it evident enough? Clarisse still didn't understand how it would make Joseph leave Heather. Actually, she _did _understand, but she was skeptical about it. It was just… too simple. And since her life had been everything but simple, Clarisse had never believed in simple things. Sure, a lot of things in her life came easily; she was the Queen of Genovia. But she had suffered a lot, and the scars of this not so simple suffering still hurt.

She walked slowly through the gardens, stopping sometimes to smell a particular rose, but her mind was set elsewhere: Joseph. She had always been able to control her emotions and not let her mind wander off to him too many times, but in those last few days, he hadn't got off her mind for a minute. Why was that again? Oh, of course, nothing special. He was just getting married. Looking up from the rosebush she had been admiring, she could swear she saw a little bit of the pink dress Heather was wearing, but it disappeared in a second, just to reappear a few second later.

"_What in the name of the gods were they doing?" _Clarisse thought as THEY, Joseph and Heather, made their way over to her. It all happened so fast; she thought she had seen them both hidden behind a tree, and Heather's hair was a bit messy, indeed. Were they…? Oh, no, of course not. Not in the gardens, right? Oh, yes, they were. IN THE GARDENS? Where had gone the times when the intimacy between couples stayed behind close doors?

She couldn't take anymore of this, of Heather, of Joseph and Heather. Enough was enough, she thought. But do her thoughts really make any difference?

"There you are, darling; we've been waiting for you. Joseph was entertaining me for a bit" Heather laughed, while Joseph just stared at her, his expression unreadable.

"I'm sure he entertained you beautifully", it took all of Clarisse's self control not to say something nasty.

"Oh, yes, he did, didn't you, darling?" Heather said, but cut in before giving the chance for Joseph to answer. "But I'll bet you have a lot of work to do, being the Head of Security of this enormous castle. I'll let you work now, without any… distractions." She smiled mischievously.

"Yes, I suppose I have." He said what Clarisse imagined were the first words he had spoken since Heather's arrival. What was it that when she was near, he became as though he was inferior to her? He never talked, as if his words weren't good enough, and he would barely make himself visible. Did love do things like that? Clarisse couldn't tell; she had never felt love on its purest form.

"Off you go, then. Now, it's just you and me, darling" Heather said when Joseph entered the castle.

"Yes, just you and me." Again. This Heather woman had a strange habit of staying alone with Clarisse, and she was beginning to get scared.

Heather locked arms with Clarisse and they both started walking in a silence for which Clarisse was grateful; she wanted, no, she _needed _to think, especially after the little display of affection she saw between the woman walking beside her and Joseph. However, it was stated a little bit later, when her voice broke the silence, that Heather could not keep her mouth shut under any circumstances. The woman just loved the dreadful sound of her own voice.

"You love this garden, don't you? Joseph said you put a lot of your precious time on it", there was something acid on her voice when she said that.

"Yes, I spent a lot of time working on it. You can imagine how I would feel if someone _messed_ with it somehow" and Clarisse returned the acid with equal force.

"I can imagine that." Heather answered, a little smiling playing on her lips. Clarisse was sure the woman was provoking her.

They fell into silence once again, but Clarisse dared not let her mind wander this time; she knew she would hear Heather's annoying voice sooner of later. And she was right.

"You know, I often wonder why Joseph spends so much of his time with you" Heather had hit the target she had been looking for, and she knew it.

Clarisse had to bit back an offensive response. _Who this woman thinks she is?, _Clarisse thought.

"Oh, really? And why is this?" she said, arching her eyebrows.

"Well, he's a busy man now, you understand. He has me" Heather said, as if it explained it all "You know, darling, if he keeps walking around with you all the time now that he is engaged, people might start talking"

Clarisse swallowed, a lump forming on her throat; she had been expecting this. She couldn't say she was looking forward to it, but say she had not seen it coming would have been a lie. Joseph was an engaged man, soon he would not have time (or would not want) to spend with her, going for walks in the garden, drives to Pyrus, or just talk to her while she pretended she was doing paperwork. And the way Joseph acted around Heather, she was sure he would not complain about their distance at all. That thought saddened her. She realized she would not only lose Joseph as her possible lover, but also as her friend. That very minute she decided she would not give up, no matter what it takes; she would fight, if not for the love of her life, then for her best friend.

"I can assure you I don't know what you are talking about, Heather. Me and Joseph are very good friends, of course we spend time together" _Or spent_, she thought. She couldn't remember the last time they had sat on her office and talked about everything and anything, but she was sure her last memory of them together was from more than six months ago.

"Well, then, I'll just have to make it crystal clear to you, won't I?" Heather said, and her ever-so-sickly-sweet voice suddenly lost all its sweetness, as she lowered it "Stay away from him. I know what you are trying to do, Clarisse, and it's not gonna work. He is mine, and I don't usually share my belongings." She turned away from Clarisse rudely and went back into the castle.

Clarisse stood there, in the middle of the garden, stunned, speechless. Well, maybe not so speechless.

"Bitch, cranky, stupid, frigid little bitch." She muttered under her breath. A long time ago, she had vowed never to speak so badly of anyone, but Heather deserved an exception.

Had Clarisse's intentions been so transparent? But she hadn't done much until now, had she? Then, how Heather had been able to see right through it? That Clarisse didn't know, but she had a faintest idea that she had underestimated Heather. She was far from being the fool, empty-minded woman Clarisse had seen her for when they first met. She was now an equal rival, which only made things more difficult. But Clarisse would show her she knew how to battle, because the war had just been declared.

_TBC_

_A.N.: I'M SO SORRY! The chapter is way too short for my (and I bet, your) liking, I don't have any more time to write… I'm sorry, guys, but I just had to post something to let you guys know this story is alive, unlike me. Anyway, I'm gonna write the next chapter NOW. Read and Review, please._


	8. Fighting a hard battle

A special thanks to all my lovely reviewers. YOU ARE THE BEST

bluegirl-783 – That's what she will do, she will fight for her man! –Though I still don't know how… any suggestions…-

BerethArwenUndomiel – That would be quite interesting, although I should ask you to NOT do that. I have some plans for Heather, and they wouldn't be the same if she was on a lake with a stone tied around her neck... But I'll keep that for future reference.

Captain Weirdo – Neither can I. I still don't know how Clarisse will do that, though.

JUJUChick16 – Here is the next update, hope you like it :D

mapetite16 – hehehehehe, you read The Clarisse Hunting Project and See the Sun at the same time, didn't you? -SEE, I TOLD YOU CLARISSE, HEATHER AND CARLA ARE TWINS!- sorry for that outburst.

Clarisse Renaldi – IN THE GARDEN! I just love Heather and Clarisse's discussions, I'll be writing more of them :D In the beginning I thought about making a stupid Heather, but that just wouldn't fit in the story. Oh, that reminds me of something:

You can start placing your bets now; Clarisse (Miss Christie) or Heather (Miss Roberts)? Review telling me about your choice/suggestions.

Missy – Hey, I liked it that you put the little expression in Portuguese. Now I became fond of you :D Sorry to keep you waiting.

óóóóóóóóóóóóóóóóó

A.N.: ITALICS are Clarisse's thoughts.

Chapter 8 – Fighting a hard battle

Clarisse walked quickly back to the castle, her face flushed with fury, Heather's words still ringing on her mind. Strolling trough guards and maids, she made her way to the library; there she would be left in peace.

She closed the door of the library behind herself and chose the most comfortable chair to sit on, resting her head against the back of it. She sighed heavily, remembering what had taken place outside: "I don't usually share my belongings". How dare that woman talk about Joseph like he was a prize, a mere piece of meat? Clarisse had seen many men doing this with their trophy wives, but never the other way around.

The woman was getting into her nerves, and Clarisse knew she had to be careful: she couldn't give Heather the knowledge that she was nervous. Yes, Clarisse certainly was bloody nervous, and World War III was about to begin. The door opened suddenly.

"Clarisse, darling, were you hiding from me?" Heather said with a smile.

Clarisse blinked, confused. She stared at Heather like she was seeing her for the first time. What had caused the sudden change? One minute Heather was threatening Clarisse, the other she was being friendly. Had the woman various personalities? Was she crazy? Then Clarisse saw what had made Heather act friendly: Joseph stood behind her, holding her hand. Clarisse swallowed and smiled; she could be an actress, too.

"Of course not, Heather. I was just a bit tired."

"Oh, I guess this is my fault. I shouldn't have asked you to a walk I the gardens, I mean; this can be tiresome for someone your age."

There. She had hit the target. Again.

"Not at all, it's just all this paperwork I have to deal with daily…"

"Yes, that certainly is tiring" Joseph came to her rescue.

Clarisse looked at Joseph with an amused expression on her face. _Oh, now he knows how to talk?_

"Well, if you'll excuse me, I still have some things to do." Clarisse said, and got up. "Sorry if I hadn't been a good host, Heather."

"Oh, you don't need to worry about that, darling. I just stopped by to tell you I'm leaving now."

"Oh, but so soon?" Clarisse mimicked Heather's tone.

"Yes, unfortunately. Not all of us are Queens who can spend their whole day just lying around"

"Heather…" Joseph reprehended her, but Clarisse interrupted him.

"No, it is quite alright, Joseph. If this is the idea Ms. Morrison has of me, then shall be it."

The women glared at each other. If looks could kill, Joseph would be the only living person in that room. They both knew Clarisse had trapped Heather now; she couldn't answer anything without starting a fight right there, in front of her fiancée.

"Well, don't get too happy, I'll be back soon. I just have to drop some papers at the Museum, and I'll be getting here within the hour. Bye, darling." She said to Clarisse and turned to Joseph to kiss him lightly on the lips.

Heather was gone; now there were only Clarisse and Joseph, the Queen of Genovia and the Head of Security, the bests of friends.

"So…"

"Well…" they both started at the same time. Clarisse smiled and Joseph entered the room, sitting on a chair near her.

They stared at each other for a few minutes; Clarisse couldn't remember the last time she had sat with him just to talk. There were so many things she would like to say to him, to ask, but she couldn't bring herself to do it.

"How are you?" he asked. Such a simple question, but one that cost Clarisse a great deal to answer.

"I'm just fine. The Prime Minister will be coming later, we have a lot of things to discuss about the…"

"No, I don't want to know about that. I asked about how Clarisse was doing, not the Queen of Genovia"

And suddenly she remembered why she loved him so much it hurt: he could make her insides melt, he was always so gentle and caring, and he made her feel… alive, Clarisse, the woman, not the Queen.

"Clarisse, your friend, is a bit tired of the activities of the Queen" she smiled, "And she's been meaning to ask you something"

"I'll be glad to ease whatever it is that is troubling her"

She took a deep breath; she didn't know where to start. She had half hoped he would say he couldn't talk to her, say that he had too many things to do… But, no, there he sat, looking at her with those gorgeous friendly eyes and waiting for her to open her mouth and talk.

"Do you love Heather?" her eyes widened as she heard the words leave her lips. She fought the urge to clasp a hand over her mouth. When had she become so direct?

If Joseph was taken aback by her question, he didn't show it.

"Of course I do, I'm marrying her, am I not?" he smiled and continued "Why did you ask me this?"

_Oh, nothing. I just had this small hope of you saying that you loved me and no other. _

"Nothing… I mean, this is one big step you're taking, and I just wanted to make sure my best friend is doing the right thing" it was the first she had said aloud that he was her best friend, and that didn't go unnoticed by Joseph, who smiled, "After all, if something goes wrong, my shoulder is where you'll be crying on"

They chuckled.

"Unlikely" he said.

"What? Do you think your life with Heather will be perfect?" she said, in the tone of a joke. "The first months will be heaven, but then you'll come to me for advice. I can already see it: "I just can't stand it! How do you women suppose we men understand you?" That will be just great to watch"

"Yeah, go on mocking, why don't you?"

They fell silent for a few minutes, Clarisse looking anywhere but at Joseph, and Joseph doing everything but tearing his eyes away from the carpet. _Such good friends you are; can't even look at each other without blushing._

"Clarisse, about Heather…"

"Don't, Joseph. Just don't. Don't feel like you have to apologize for her manners or anything like it. Heather and I will get along somehow. We have to."

She smiled; there was so much she would like to tell him, but it was impossible. Would she ever be able to tell Joseph who Heather really was? And did she even know who Heather was? Wasn't her opinion biased for the fact that she was engaged to the only man Clarisse had ever loved? Oh, those questions. They had been haunting her for quite some time, and she doubted they would stop anytime soon.


	9. Tears dry on their own

_A.N.: Only now I've realized I'm making this story too long. I've spent three chapters talking about the same day! Do you guys want me to speed it up a little bit? If you have any suggestions, don't hesitate to tell me._

_Thanks to my lovely reviewers: _

_**VictoriaGrant**__ - Now you'll see why Heather can't be banned from the castle. And no, no stones for you, darling. The doctor said we should keep you away from those.  
_

_**bluegirl-783**__ - I'm working on your suggestion, thank you so much! _

_**Captain Weirdo**__ - Kiss him would be very un-queenly, don't you think? But I'll keep this for future references. _

_**JUJUChick16**__- I would knock her out, too. In fact, I think everyone here would!_

_**Clarisse Renaldi**__ - Give me a few creative ways to kill Heather and I'll think about it. Thank you, although I don't think I deserve such compliments._

_50 points to the first one of you girls who can tell me where the age and the Uncle Sam quotes are from :D_

Chapter 9 – Tears dry on their own

Clarisse made her way to the kitchens, hours after her talk with Joseph in the library, from which she was still recovering. Heather would probably be back by now, and she didn't want to see her again. Ever again. But she knew that it was impossible. _"Of course I love her", _Joseph's words rang on her mind. He didn't love Clarisse. He loved Heather. He was in love with the woman he was getting married with. Why was she surprised? Wasn't it how it's supposed to be? Then, why did it feel so… wrong?

Entering the kitchens, she was surprised to not find it empty, as she thought she would, since the cooking staff had taken the day off. Instead, Mia, Charlotte and Heather sat on a table, drinking tea and chatting like three long time friends. Clarisse was surprised, jealous even; not long ago Mia had said she didn't want to get to know Heather. She only hoped she could slip away unnoticeable. Talking with Heather was the last thing her mind (and ears) needed now. As she turned around to leave, she heard Mia's voice:

"So tell me, Heather, how old are you?"

Clarisse stopped. It occurred to her that she didn't have the faintest how old Heather was. She knew Heather must be way younger than herself; maybe one of the reasons Joseph chose her. _"Stop it! It isn't a matter of choice; he can't choose who he'll fall in love with", _said a little voice inside her head.

"You see, darling, when you're 20, I'll be 40. When you're 30, I'll be 40. And when you're 40, you'll understand why I'm still 40.", said Heather with a smile.

Mia laughed, Charlotte coughed on her tea and Clarisse had to suppress a very un-queenly snort; the three of them knew Heather was lying, and she seemed to know that they knew, but she didn't care. Clarisse knew she was young, but not _that_ young. Maybe 10 years younger than her.

"How did you start working at the Museum? You're not Genovian, are you? They don't usually accept foreigners there." Asked Charlotte.

"I'm American, actually. Well, darling, let's just say I can be very convincing when I want" Heather said, and Clarisse could see a mischievous smile on her face. Both women who sat with Heather grasped the meaning of the smile, but did not comment it.

As Heather and Charlotte engaged on a conversation about the palace staff, Mia, who had noticed her grandmother standing stunned in the doorway, excused herself from the table and made her way toward Clarisse. They both left the kitchen without saying a word for a few minutes, and when they're out of Heather's earshot, Mia spoke:

"How are you, Grandma?" Joseph had asked her this same question not so long ago and she remembered how painful it was to answer him. Why didn't it hurt to lie to Mia?

"Fine. What were you doing?"

"Heather came back, couldn't find Joseph, so she went looking for us. I've been trying to embarrass her since she walked into that kitchen, but, damn it, she's good." Mia muttered, frustrated.

Clarisse suddenly felt very proud of her granddaughter.

"Where's Joseph?" she asked.

"Hiding. He finally realized her voice is the most unbearable thing in the world and decided to call off the wedding. She wants to kill him." Said Mia

"Very funny, Mia, but I must ask you not to joke with this in the future" answered Clarisse.

"I'm sorry Grandma. I just wanted to…" but she was cut off by Joseph, who opened the door to the room they were in.

"Is she here?" asked him hurriedly, out of breath. It was visible he had been running.

"Who is she? And what happened, Joseph?" asked Clarisse.

"Heather, of course!" he snapped, and then seemed to calm down seeing Clarisse's frown. "I'm sorry, Clarisse." He apologized, entering the room and closing the door behind him.

"Is there something the matter?" Clarisse asked again.

"I need to give those papers to Heather" he said, motioning to the envelope in his hands.

"What are those?" asked Mia, curious.

"I'm going to ask her to sign a prenuptial agreement." Joseph answered.

"Why don't you just walk through downtown Iraq dressed like Uncle Sam? It'll be quicker." said the teenager.

"Amelia!" Clarisse's eyes widened in shock "I apologize, Joseph, she didn't mean to imply…" she started, but Joseph gently held up a hand to silence her.

"It's alright, Clarisse" he said, then chuckled. "I guess I'm afraid of her, too"

He looked into her eyes, and she allowed herself to be lost in his gaze, knowing it was wrong, that once she let it happen, she would probably never be able to live without those eyes again. She had been in hold of her emotions for so long; she just couldn't set them free. Not now, not ever.

Mia noticed the tension in the room and quietly slipped away; neither Joseph nor Clarisse seemed to notice it.

"I feel bad I've never asked you if you set a date already."

"Yes, we did. It was quite difficult to come to a conclusion. Heather wanted June, 1st. But I couldn't get married this day." He said, and Clarisse nodded in understanding. It was the day Philippe had died, and he had always thought of Philippe as his own child. One of the innumerous reasons she loved him "So, we set on June 20th"

Clarisse shivered. Two months from now. She didn't know if it was too soon, or too late. But, too late for what?

"Do you have anything prepared?"

"Heather is in charge of almost everything. She said since it was her wedding, she would make sure it was the way she had dreamed it would be" he smiled "We don't talk much about the plans she has for the party. I only know the ceremony is to take place at the Genovian Cathedral in Pyrus"

"You can have the party here", Clarisse said on instinct, and soon cursed herself for it. _"No, no, say no!",_ she pleaded silently.

"Heather was going to ask you if we could have it here. Well, then, she doesn't need to ask anymore." Joseph said, and smiled. His dazzling smile was almost worth offering the palace to the party. Almost. "Thank you so much, Clarisse. I'm going to tell Heather; maybe she won't be so angry with the whole prenuptial agreement." Flashing one more of his brilliant smiles, he walked away to look for Heather, leaving Clarisse there, in shock.

What had she been thinking? Having the party here, in the castle? She had offered the bloody palace for the party after the ceremony._ Well done, Clarisse, you can't go back now._ She tried saying to herself she'd just wanted to be nice, but truth be told: she wanted to keep and eye on the married couple. Why, she didn't know.

Òòòòòòòòòò

Clarisse watched the sunset, feeling the last sheds of light in the day on her soft skin. She closed her eyes for a second, for the first time truly admitting she had never been so tired, and she had done basically nothing the whole day, besides trying to hide from Heather. As usual, she replayed the day's events on her mind, and remembered the argument she had had with Heather in the garden. My God, it seemed years ago, but it had only been hours. Her head was about to explode, her body felt numb and her eyelids heavy. Time to go to sleep. She was sleeping earlier every day. Was she getting old? As she moved to close the window and retire for the night, the very last drop of golden sun shined on her, and then it was gone. She sighed. Looking down, to the gardens, she saw Joseph getting Heather into a palace car and biding her goodbye. Clarisse watched attentively as they seemed to have an argument, but then Heather put a hand on Joseph's neck and pulled him to her, kissing passionately. Clarisse shut her eyes tightly; no, the tears wouldn't fall this time. She had shed the last tear she would ever shed because of Joseph. She turned her back from the scene developing in the gardens. She had adopted a new attitude about this situation: with her head held high, she would get through all of it. It would be over soon, in two month's time. She didn't know _how_ it would be over, though. Maybe she would be happy in the end, maybe not. She tried to think that if her best friend was happy as can be, she would be happy too. What a lie. In any way, no more tears. This she promised herself.

_TBC_


	10. Wake up to reality

Thanks to my wonderful reviewers:

Captain Weirdo – Yes, I am!! How about we do like VictoriaGrant said, hunt her down and then we kill her. Slowly, very slowly. OMG, what kind of example I'm giving to the future generations?

JUJUChick16 – Really, I haven't thought about that. I think I should retire, my readers understand more this fic than I am.

VictoriaGrant – No stones, and that's final. But we can move on with the 'I-HATE-HEATHER' club thing. Anyone else wants to join it, besides, of course, your multiples personalities?

bluegirl-783 – I think he is too… Can we understand what it's going on inside his mind? I mean, marry Heather, really, has he gone mad or something? Okay, I'm shutting up now.

Clarisse-von-Trapp – YAAAAAAAY!! One more Nanny's fan out here D I love it, I loveeeee it. Can you believe that I'm so brain damaged that I didn't figure out this whole Heather Miss Fine thing at first? Clarisse Renaldi had to point it out for me. I don't know, maybe I was subconsciously modeling her after Fran…

meggy – I don't think anyone likes her. God knows I don't.

Clarisse Renaldi – Well, I have four possible endings to this story, so, yeah, I don't have any idea how this is gonna end. YAY, THE NANNY'S QUOTES D Hopefully, I'll be using more of them soon. Anyway, I'm NOT going to forget 2012, missy. And I used a quote from you in this chapter; can you tell which one it is?

óóóóóoóóóóoóó

Chapter 10 – Wake up to reality

Mia entered the library and found her grandmother sitting on a chair, reading a book. Mia watched her face for a few minutes. How could she remain so strong, act so carelessly when the love of her life was about to get married to another? Mia knew she cared, it was impossible not to. Not even Clarisse Renaldi, Queen of Genovia and the strongest person who had ever set foot on earth, could remain indifferent to the whole situation. It was true Clarisse was the person Mia most admired on the world, not to mention how much she loved her grandma, and because of that she decided she would take matters into her own hands if necessary.

"Hey, Grandma"

"Hello, Amelia" said Clarisse, not bothering to look up from her book.

"What are you reading?" asked Mia, trying to read what was written on the cover of the book.

"Oh, it's nothing." answered Clarisse, closing the book and hiding it behind her back. But she was not fast enough; Mia held up the book in her hands, triumphantly.

"'Hot Ice, by Nora Roberts. Fraternizing with the enemy already, grandma? I'm ashamed of you" Not giving Clarisse a chance to respond, she walked over to one of the many shelves filled with books and picked one. "Here, this is what you should be reading. It's classier"

"'Murder is Easy', by Agatha Christie. Mia, give me the other one back, this one is already giving me ideas to use with Heather, and I didn't even begin to read it"

"Yeah, like this one won't give you any ideas. What about, 'she could feel his hands, hot like fire, touching her cold skin, traveling up and down her body. Suddenly, she forgot everything. There were only two people on the world now, two people making love through the night…'''

"Amelia!" exclaimed Clarisse.

"Yes?" Mia said, innocently.

"Give it back!"

"No. No more Nora Roberts for you"

"But I was reading the best part, when they make up and…"

"And live together happily ever after. What's the point of reading a book when you already know how it's gonna end?" when she saw Clarisse opening her mouth to retort, she added, "Never mind. From now on, only Agatha Christie. It will give you something to think about, trying to solve all those crimes"

"If you want to make me read something classy, why don't you give me Jane Austen?" Clarisse tried.

"I repeat, _what's the point_ of reading the books when you can watch the movies? No, no Jane Austen"

"Emily Dickinson?"

"Nope"

"Gabriel Garcia Marquez?"

"How can you stand it?"

"Charlotte Brontë?

"How many times did you read 'Jane Eyre'? Come on, grandma, be creative! I do love a challenge."

"Let me see, then… Paulo Coelho?"

"Is he what, Genovian?"

"As far as I know, Brazilian. I caught you off guard, didn't I?"

"As a matter of fact, you did. Who would have thought that the Queen of Genovia knew anything about Brazilian writers?"

Clarisse smiled. "There are a lot of things about me you don't know, Mia. Charles Dickens?"

"And that's why I'm spending my vacation here. I had to read Charles Dickens for school once, and I almost died of boredom"

"I'm really glad you're here. Margaret Mitchell?"

"I'm glad I'm not missing all the things that are happening. How many years since she first published a book? By now, everything had already gone with the wind."

"What, Joseph's engagement? J. K. Rowling?"

"Yes, and Heather. She sure is a hell of an event! What are you, a teenager?"

"What do you mean, 'an event'? J. D. Robb?"

"The woman is quite a sight with those extremely colorful clothes and that B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L voice of hers. I can't help but wonder how long Joseph will survive this marriage. Ha, don't you think I know J. D. Robb and Nora Roberts are the same person?"

"I often wonder that myself. But we must understand he chose to marry her. That's what he will do. Shakespeare?"

"Kind of difficult to understand why a person who isn't brain damaged would marry Heather. But will he? Too obvious."

"I'm giving up hope, Mia. He will marry her. He told me he loved her, and they even set a date already. P. D. James?"

"But you can't give up hope, grandma, don't you see? You just can't. And, besides, who said just because they set a date, it's guaranteed he's gonna marry her? Never heard of P. D. James in my whole life, which is saying much, mind you."

"Give me at least one good reason why I should keep hoping he'll give up on Heather and come to me. 'Come to me', it sounds lame to my own ears. Eleanor H. Porter?"

"We all will lose Joseph if they get married. And face it, grandma; you'll never be the same, being miserable for the rest of your life. Please, one can only read 'Pollyanna' once. Twice is too much, and I'm not even gonna ask you how many times did you read it."

"Why will you all lose him? As far as I was able to figure, I'll be the only one who'll be forbidden of his company by his soon-to-be wife. I can say that I won't be happy, but being miserable for the rest of my life is a little bit too drastic, don't you think? P. L. Travers?"

"Because Heather dominates Joseph, and I'm sure you had guessed that already. I know, I know, as much as unbelievable it is, it's the truth. Who would have thought that Joseph Bonnell, the Head of Security of the Genovia Palace and personal bodyguard of the Queen would turn out to be a submissive in-love guy? Sorry, did I say 'miserable for the rest of your life'? Because I meant 'completely, utterly and unbelievably miserable for the rest of your life'. Hey, come on now, grandma, Mary Poppins? These are children's books!"

"Yes, it's very plain to see that he does whatever she tells him to, and did you notice that he never seems to speak when she's around? Mia, really, I don't think I'll be like that. After all, I've got time to prepare myself for what's to come. And Mary Poppins, the movie, is wonderful, by the way. It was one of your uncle's favorite films when he was young. Nora Roberts?"

"It's a wonder he stills know how to speak, and I'll bet his ears hurts more in the end of a day with Heather than a pugilist's face would after three hours of being merciless beaten up by his opponent. You do NOT have time to prepare yourself, or whatever you call it. For God's sake, do you think I don't know he stormed into your office that day and told you he was engaged? He definitely caught you off guard, doing a much better job that what you're trying to do with me here. And, besides, the goddamn wedding is in two months! Stop with this Nora Roberts thing."

"That was quite a comparison, Mia, very creative. Who told you about it? How do you know he stormed into my office, and caught me off guard? And what if I said to you that I had seen that coming? Oscar Wilde?"

"Thank you, I like to think I'm brilliant. Which I am. Well, let's just say the walls in this castle have ears. And eyes, commonly known as cameras. I would say that this is a lie, a big one. ANYBODY could have seen that coming, grandma, mostly not you! Tell me, Clarisse Renaldi, when was the last time you and Joseph had sat to talk and just _be friends_ before he told you about the engagement? I was wondering when you'd mention my dear friend Mr. Wilde"

"I can't believe it, Amelia Renaldi! You saw the security video? Oh, God, I had completely forgotten my office has cameras. Are you trying to say me and Joseph are not friends anymore? I highly doubt this is the case. Frederick Forsyth?"

"Yep, I did, and may I say so, I'm pretty much proud of myself for it. You should've seen your face; you looked like someone had died. No, I wouldn't say that you two are not friends anymore; it's just a case of neglecting the friendship. Did you ever think about it? So you know Frederick, huh? Who would have thought? I seem to be saying that quite a lot lately."

"Mia, that was completely impolite. And, well, I _felt_ as if someone had died, and maybe, in way, someone_ did_. I came to the conclusion that we are neglecting our friendship and long time ago, and alone. Thank you, but you did not tell me anything I didn't already know. You would be amazed with my knowledge of actual writers. C. S. Lewis?"

"And what do you intend to do? Will you watch this beautiful friendship die, or will you do something about it? Wake up, grandma! This wonderful thing you two have is slipping in between your fingers, and soon all that'll be left of it are the memories you're already forgetting, and, of course, Heather warning you to stay away from Joseph. I'll have gray hair by the time you finish reading The Narnia Chronicles"

"I didn't realize you had grown up so much in such a short period of time, Amelia. What do you suppose I do? Tell him I'm going to die if I don't have him by my side, if I don't see his smile everyday, if I don't look into his eyes? Oh, dear, I think I'm reading too much Nora Roberts. You saw that video too? Who else did, Joseph? I think that would be the only way to make him believe Heather is not what he thinks she is. Well, I guess even that won't be enough. Anne Frank?"

"If this is what you have to do, Grandma, then do it! If he won't believe you when you say this to him, kiss him and the hell with the consequences! You've loved him silently your whole life, and you were under the impression you two would be dancing around each other forever, and that would be fine. But now Joseph's got tired of it, and you don't know what to do because things are not going on as you had imagined they would. Show him you got tired of the dancing, too. Oh, please, Anne Frank? There's so much drama in our lives right now, we need something cheerful. You don't need any more heartbreaking."

"Mia, I can't just kiss him, he's engaged! What will he think of me? I'm his best friend, I'm supposed to back up his decision of marriage, not try to talk him out of it. How do you know I've loved him all my life? You seem to know more about the whole thing than I do, and I must say it's strangely comforting to have someone pointing out all the rights and wrongs. Yes, as ashamed as I am to admit it, it is true: I figured that, since I was Queen, and wasn't going to hand down the throne anytime soon, our platonic relationship would be enough for both of us. God knows I thought it was enough for _me_; how selfish I was. I never stopped to think that Joseph may have wanted more than what I was able to give him. But, of course, at that time I was also under the impression he loved me. Jules Verne?"

"Okay, so probably kissing him straight up isn't the best decision to make, but it would be just great to watch. You have loved him since he first walked into this castle, exactly twenty-three years ago. I was hoping I could shake some reality onto you. Well, I hate to be the one to deliver the bad news, but that platonic relationship isn't enough for Joseph. Maybe it had been for some time, but not anymore. And don't try to fool yourself, grandma: it had never been enough for you either. You wanted it to be, because you're Queen and couldn't afford to fall in love with anyone but the King. Don't blame yourself; you're only trying to have a comfortable life without have to face any consequences. As long as he was by your side, you both were fine. What had changed since the time you're under the impression he loved you? I would never have taken you for the adventurous kind."

"Who told you about all of this, Mia? Where did you find this kind of information? I was comfortable, yes, but he had never been. Once or twice, after Rupert had died, he made comments about wanting to get our relationship out of the shadows, but I dismissed them; we were doing so fine, why should we change the way things were done? There was no point in it. I guess I've always felt guilty because I've never fallen in love with Rupert, and worse, I had fallen in love with a member of the security staff. What changed? Please, Amelia! He is getting married! If, by any chances, you missed all the gossip going on around the palace, I'm repeating it to you: he is engaged, to be married on June, 20th. Do you understand it now, or do you want me to draw it for you?"

"Privileged information. Sorry, a detective never reveals her sources. Grandma, I think I have told you this before; Joseph's got tired of the waiting. Honestly, can you blame him? The woman he loves doesn't want to start a relationship with him. He wouldn't be waiting around forever, Grandma. So, here's what happened: Joseph got fed up with the whole thing between you two - or lack of a thing, if you know what I mean -, and that's just around the time he meets Heather. They start going out casually, because he does not want something serious; but when Heather proposes, he thinks there is no harm in accepting: he would lead a nice and comfortable life beside a woman who apparently is mad about him, and he would not have to think about you two all the time. They set up a date, and so what? This doesn't mean he does not love you."

"Honestly, Amelia, I think you're watching too many American movies. There is no happy ending on this story. It is over, I accepted this. There is no chance of a romantic relationship between Joseph and me, but I can still have my friend. It won't be the same thing, knowing that he won't go home to an empty room anymore, that she will be there with him every night, but I must get over it. I don't know if he'll want to continue working here at the castle, but I'm going to ask him that. You know too much, Amelia, you _think_ too much. He may even love me, but he's not _in_ love with me; he would not marry Heather if he were. Could you please stop talking about all of this? I am tired, I have a lot of work to do and this kind of conversation isn't leading us anywhere."

"And what will you do, pretend Heather isn't there when you talk to him, and lock yourself up in your perfect little world where only people you want there are allowed? Will you face reality, things as they are, the facts, or will you be forever trapped in your fairy tale? Open your eyes and look around you; the world is not the way you want it to be. I cannot stop talking about this, and I don't care if you want to hear the truth or not, but you're being stupid, Grandma. I never thought I would be saying this to you at any point in my life, but I'm not the slightest bit sorry. And I think it is leading us somewhere; at least I've given you something to talk about. The hell with all those plans me and Charlotte were making, the hell with strategies and attacks. Stop using you brain, and for once, think with your heart. I have heard people saying it to each other ever since I can remember, but I've never understood the real meaning of that until now. You have emotions like every other human being, and you don't need to keep the bottled all the time."

They fell in silence and stared at each other, both women stunned with the conversation that had just taken place. If anyone had said to Mia a couple months ago that she would be saying to her Grandmother she was stupid, the teenager would have laughed on the person's face. Clarisse could not believe her sweet granddaughter had said all those things to her, things she thought were impossible to go through the mind of someone so young. She was not hurt, for everything Mia had said was true, instead she felt relieved to have someone waking her up, telling her everything that had been in front of her for years, but she'd refused to see. Neither of them noticed their little game of writers fading; they didn't even know what they're doing it for anymore.

Mia, being the energetic teenager she was, could not stand the silence any longer.

"Grandma, I'm…"

"No, Amelia. Don't."

Clarisse walked up to Mia and did the unthinkable: embraced the young girl in her arms. Confused, Mia let herself be held by her Grandma, a woman who wasn't demonstrative, but who needed to let go for just a moment.

"I love you, Grandma" She didn't remember if she'd ever said it to Clarisse, but it felt the right thing to say at the moment.

"I love you too, Amelia. Mia" said Clarisse after a long pause.

Mia pulled back enough to look her Grandmother in the eye and smiled. Both of them were thinking the same thing: they'd never had a moment like this one, of total and complete understanding. It felt good, knowing that they had just bonded.

"I should get going; I promised Charlotte I would go to Pyrus with her." Mia said quietly, afraid that she was breaking the spell.

"Yes." Clarisse said and pulled back, sitting on her chair again. "Have fun, you two."

"We will" As Mia turned to walk out of the door, she seemed to remember something "I'll take this with me", and Clarisse laughed as Mia picked up the Nora Roberts book she had been reading.

"So it was because of this we were playing that odd game" said Clarisse, cheerfully.

"I think it was." Said Mia, relieved to see her grandmother smiling, and happy to know she was the one who had put it there.

"Thank God it's over; I was running out of writers"

"And I was running out of excuses for preventing you to read them." Mia opened the door but turned back once again "And, Grandma?"

"Yes?"

"The ending is always happy, remember that." She smiled and left.

As Amelia closed the door quietly behind her, Clarisse thought of how mature the girl was. Was she supposed to be like that? Shouldn't she be hanging out with friends right now, doing stupid things and laughing afterwards of how carelessly she'd acted? She certainly shouldn't be trying to help her grandmother and advising her so wisely. She wasn't acting like a teenager at all. But replaying their conversation in her mind once again, Clarisse understood. The shyness, the insecure eyes, the whispered words: Mia was still young and naïve about many things, but she'd grown up, not because she'd wanted, but because she'd gone through so many things in her life already. Things that had matured her in a way time could never had. She felt proud for her granddaughter.

Clarisse could feel a headache forming, and pressed her fingers to her temples. Just when she thought she was freed from them, they came back at full force. She decided she would think about the conversation she'd had with Mia later. She was much too tired for it right now. But a few words the girl had said still rang on her mind as she got up to pick a book to read: _"The ending is always happy"_. She could not get the words out of her mind as she opened the book and stepped quietly into the world of Agatha Christie.

_TBC_

A.N.: Too confusing? Review, please. Press that little lilac button and tell me if you too, have thought of any ways of doing Heather in.


	11. La Vie en Rose

_A.N.: Today is June, 20th__. Doesn't that date ring any bells? Okay, so today is the 21st. The site wouldn't let me post it yesterday. ARGH!  
_

Chapter 11 – La Vie en Rose

Clarisse fretted and rolled over in her sleep, sweating and trembling. Images flashed in her mind so quickly she didn't have the time to identify them, and for unknown reasons it scared her. She tried to open her eyes, knowing it would free herself from the torture, but found she couldn't; she was somehow mesmerized by her dream. She focused on it and was able to catch a glimpse of familiar brown eyes, blue roses and a white dress. When realization of what the white dress meant took upon her, her eyes flung open involuntarily, the images on her mind vanishing. Only one thought occupied her head: what date was today? She was almost afraid of looking at her bedside calendar to find it out. Her suspicions were correct: today was June, 20th. Why was that date ringing a bell? _"He is engaged, to be married on June, 20th."_ The conversation with Mia went back to her. Her eyes widened: the love of her life was getting married today and he would never know about her feelings. _No,_ she thought, _he may be getting married today, but before that I'm going to tell him I love him. _

She shot out of bed in a very un-lady-like manner and put on her silk robe. After washing her face in the bathroom sink, she entered her suite and began pacing the floor, weighing the results of her decisions on her mind. Surprisingly, she decided she didn't care one bit. She picked up the phone and dialed the number of Joseph's apartment, called him to her suite, and hang up not waiting for his answer. She then called Charlotte to let her know she was awake and wanted to have her breakfast brought up to the suite.

The breakfast arrived before Joseph, and as Olivia, her maid left the room, Clarisse wondered what was taking him so long. _Today's his wedding. He's probably getting ready. _She was trying to remember the last time she had seen him in a tuxedo when she heard the door open. It was Joseph, she didn't need to turn around and look at him to know.

"Good morning, Clarisse."

"Good morning, Joseph. How are you today?" she remained with her back to him, not ready to look in his eyes just yet.

"Fine. You?" he shrugged and his disinterest had her finally turning to look at him. He was dressed in his usual black clothes.

"Aren't you nervous?" she asked.

"Why would I be?" he asked, his brow narrowed in confusion.

"Today is your wedding day" _how could he have forgotten? Or had I been dreaming all along, Heather is a very wicked creation of my mind and Joseph has never loved another woman?_

"Oh, that. Charlotte didn't tell you?" he asked. _Told me what, that you called of the engagement?_ "Since the reception is to be held here, it wasn't possible for Charlotte to set up everything for today. We decided to delay the wedding"

_What? He wasn't getting married today? _Despite the fact that she was angry nobody had told her anything – and the reception was going to happen in _her_ palace! - , she knew it would give her more time. She didn't need to tell Joseph of her feelings today, after all. Guilt washed over her; why she kept putting this off? She knew she had to tell him, sooner or later.

"Any particular reason you called me up here this early?" he asked as he sat down beside her and poured tea for both of them.

_Oh, no. It's just that I love you, and I think you should know. _"I really thought you're getting married today"

They fell in silence for a moment, until Clarisse finally asked something she had been wanting to since she met Heather.

"Joseph, will you continue working in the castle after you get married?"

He sighed as he had been expecting and dreading this, and put down his cup of tea, looking Clarisse straight in the eye.

"I really wanted to, but Heather thinks it will be better if I find a job in Pyrus." He said, regretfully.

Clarisse stood up and walked over to the window. For once she didn't want to be the understanding, comprehensible Clarisse. She was angry at both Heather and Joseph, and more than anything she wanted to show it to him, to make him feel at least a little fragment of the pain she was feeling.

"And you can't say no to her, I suppose." She paused and took a deep breath. She was ready to say everything that she had kept bottled up for so long. "Either that or you are just eager to get rid of me"

He chuckled, thinking she was joking.

"You think it's funny, don't you? That's because you're not the one being left behind. I may even sound like a whining child, but by God, Joseph, you completely forgot about me. You're supposed to be my friend, my best friend, and now, do you even remember I exist at all? Don't you know I'm always here, waiting for you to snap out of that trance you seem to be in, and to come to talk to me? Can you remember the last time you talked to me, Joseph?"

He was stunned. Never in his life had he seen Clarisse reacting in such a way. She was usually calm and collected, always keeping her temper under control. But now she seemed ready to explode.

"Well, you sure can't! You forgot _everything_, Joseph, everything. Do you remember what you were before you met Heather? Do you remember what _we _were? I do. You were the friendliest and sweetest man I've ever met; we were the best friends that had ever set foot on earth. I understand you may do not have the time to sit and talk with me anymore, but what I can't understand is how you used to have a mind of your own, and now you don't. Why is that that every single time Heather says something, you agree with her? Why aren't you able to say no to her at least once, and consider your feelings on the matter?" she had tears in her eyes now. She couldn't care less about them. "Or you just don't care anymore? Do you know what you're doing, Joseph? You're letting her rule your life. You're letting her break us apart."

She paused to catch her breath, and was glad he seemed to be speechless. She went on.

"To be frank, I don't think we were even connected, for her to break us"

She hoped the words stung; she hoped he would be very, very hurt by what she said.

"Next thing, she'll be forbidding you to talk to me. And you will lower your head and say 'yes, ma'am'" she laughed dryly. "I don't know you, Joseph. I don't know this man that stands in front of me now, and it breaks my heart. All I wanted to happen was for that Joseph, the one I met twenty-three years ago, the one that was there for me when I lost my sons, when Rupert died and I had to rule Genovia on my own, to come back. Can you give me my best friend back? I don't know what the hell I'm going to do with my life without him. If you happen to come across him, could you please tell him I miss him more than he will ever know, and that everything seems much harder when he is not here."

Tears were running freely down her face, and she made no move to wipe them away.

"Clarisse, my dear…" he started, but stopped mid-sentence when he saw her shake her head.

"No, don't. Find him first, will you?"

She left him and made her way to the bedroom, closing the door after her. In the other room, Joseph was still staring at the spot she had been, and the tea had gone stone cold.

Óóóóóoóóóóoóó

June, 21st, the first day of the Genovian Entertainment Fair, where people from all over the world went for a week of music, arts, fun and games. As the group strode down the streets of Pyrus, sometimes stopping at the stands to play some games, Clarisse took in every single detail about this year's fair. They outdid themselves this year, she thought. The fair happened yearly, and consisted of the stands with games, souvenirs, food, which stayed open as long as the sun was up, and, at night, presentations of world-wide known artists and performers. The highlight of last year's fair had been the Russian ballet. Clarisse only hoped that there wouldn't have any operas; she couldn't stand operas. At the first night, the event was the ball: it wasn't exactly a ball, but a dance. As it was something very informal, people usually stayed on after seeing the stands. There would be an orchestra playing and people of all ages dancing on the improvised dance floor. The Queen of Genovia always opened the dance. And her partner was always her Head of Security. _But maybe,_ Clarisse thought, _this year is going to be different._ They hadn't talked since that time in her suite, the day before; she figured he was angry at her. She had too much pride to go after him to apologize. And besides, what would she apologize for? For telling the truth? For finally doing what everyone had told her to do, let go?

The group of six moved from on stand to another, Clarisse always walking in front of Joseph. He was still her bodyguard. Heather had arms locked with him, and Charlotte and Shades were just beside them, hand in hand. Mia walked next to her grandmother, visibly bored and annoyed with the fact she didn't have a boyfriend to win for her the huge teddy bear she had seen at one of the stands. At some point, the boys went to one side, and the girls to another. Clarisse could feel Joseph's eyes on her even in the distance. _It's nothing_, she told herself. _He's my bodyguard, first and foremost_. But she didn't believe her own words. He was so much more than just her bodyguard and Head of Security.

"Where to now, girlfriends?" asked Heather. Mia suppressed a giggle and said:

"I don't know you guys, but I'm going to the Kiss Stand. God knows I need some kissing. Wanna come with me, grandma, since we're the only ones here without boyfriends?"

"Amelia!"

"Yeah, didn't think so. See you later, guys" she was surprised Clarisse hadn't reprimand her on her choice of stand.

"Wait, Mia. I'll go with you" said Heather, and Charlotte and Clarisse turned to her.

"Heather?" said Charlotte in disbelief.

"Yes, of course, why not, darling? I'll tell you what, Mia, how about we play a little game I used to play with my girlfriends back in America: we part ways now, and an hour later we get back together to see which one of us has French kissed the bigger number of men"

Clarisse's eyes widened: Heather could only be joking. She was engaged, she sure wasn't implying that she would go out kissing unknown men.

"Heather, what about Joseph?" Clarisse asked.

She shot a look towards him before answering, "Oh, darling, I may be engaged, but I'm not a nun" and with that she left the other three stunned women to go in search of men willing to kiss her.

"Don't you dare play that disgusting game, Amelia" Clarisse said.

"Gee, grandma, gimme some credit, I wasn't going to"

"God only knows what goes on Heather's mind." said Charlotte.

"Yeah, and He's probably hitting his head against a wall wondering what did he do wrong. Poor guy." Mia said, and Charlotte laughed.

"At least He's not stuck with her for the rest of His life" Charlotte said.

"I bet He made her immortal, so He would never have to put up with her" answered Mia.

"He would not be that mean. He's supposed to love us, remember?" said Clarisse, making the other two smile.

"At least now we are rid of her for the next hour. Where to now, girlfriends?" said Mia, mimicking Heather.

"Where are the boys?" asked Charlotte.

"Over the Rolls Royce miniatures stand" answered Mia.

"Oh, God. What if Joseph sees Heather?" asked Clarisse.

"Then he'll know what a wonderful wife she will be. Let's get out of here" Mia said, and grabbed Clarisse and Charlotte by their arms, leading them to one of the stands with games. They paid for it and proceed to play it, not worrying about anything but winning the prizes. The fair was only beginning, and they wanted to enjoy every single moment of it.

Óóóóóoóóóóoóó

Clarisse watched the sun set, knowing that soon her name would be called so she could open the dance. She still did not know if Joseph would dance with her, and she didn't care: she could always dance with the Prime Minister. She wondered what song they had chosen for her to dance this year. The year before it had been "I Only Have Eyes for you", sung by Ella Fitzgerald; the Prime Minister knew that she was a huge fan of Fitzgerald, and had suggested the song. The year before that, it had been "Dance Me to the End of Love", and she had found it rather awkward to dance it with Joseph in front of everyone. The traditional Genovian waltz, or, as Mia liked to call it, 'the wango', was only played at midnight.

A hand on her shoulder woke her up from her musings; Joseph stood behind her.

"I think that's our cue" he said, as the Prime Minister made his way up to the microphone to announce her.

Clarisse walked up to the dance floor, smiling and waving, Joseph following closely behind her. He positioned himself in front of her and put an arm around her waist just as the orchestra began playing the song. Clarisse's eyes widened.

"La Vie En Rose" she whispered, more to herself than to him.

He nodded. "To celebrate old times"

"La Vie En Rose" had been the first song they had danced together, at the Christmas Ball, twenty-three years ago. Neither of them had ever forgotten that day.

They waltzed around the dance floor in perfect synchrony in silence for a moment. Joseph was the first to speak:

"I think I've found that friend of yours"

Clarisse, who had been trying to look at anywhere but him, reluctantly looked into his eyes. "Did you?" she answered, trying to sound disinterested.

"Yes."

"You requested the song, didn't you?"

"How did you know?"

"It is rather obvious. Only you would know what it meant"

"What it _means." _He corrected her. "I talked with Heather yesterday"

"Oh?"

"I'm not going to leave the palace"

"I'm glad" she said, masking her relief and keeping her voice cool.

"You were right; I was letting her rule my life. This is going to change now"

"Finally"

"And I have you to thank"

She didn't answer; too busy she was in listening to Edith Piaf's magnificent voice. He realized that and did not bother her anymore. They danced in a comfortable silence, until the last notes of the song were played.

"Joseph, I…" Clarisse started, but saw Heather making her way toward them.

"Oh, darling, you'll dance one with me, won't you?" Heather asked, approaching the couple and leaning in to whisper in Joseph's ear.

"Of course" Joseph said, and Clarisse dismissed his apologetic look and left the dance floor, which was already full of couples dancing, without looking back, much less at him.

"You and Joseph make quite the couple" said Mia, when Clarisse reached her side.

"I know" she said simply, and watched Joseph, deciding Heather did not look as right as she did in his arms.

Charlotte and Shades danced together, and Clarisse was glad to notice the woman couldn't stop smiling. Mia stayed faithfully beside her grandmother, both of them watching the dance floor. There was nothing else they could do; the stands were closed, and they would need to wait for the others to go home. Since the two couples didn't show any signs of possibly leave the dance floor anytime soon, Clarisse chose one of the tables to sit down. Mia sat in front of her, and turned her chair enough so she was still able to see the other couples, and ordered a drink. Clarisse stared into space, not even listening to the music anymore.

"Grandma, are you alright?" asked Mia, visibly concerned.

"What? Oh, I'm sorry Mia. Yes, I'm quite alright, thank you"

"Yeah, but you're not here. You've got this landscape look on your face"

"If I wasn't so tired, I believe I would even laugh at your comments"

Mia knew better than to push her grandmother. She was tired, so tired she didn't notice Joseph coming up behind her, or Mia, upon seeing him signaling, leaving the table to give them more privacy.

"Clarisse" he said laying a hand on her shoulder.

"You startled me" she said.

"Sorry."

"It's nothing, just try not to make a habit out of it" she smiled, but he could tell it was very difficult for her.

"You walked away from me and didn't even look back"

"It sounds like a cheesy line took out of a novel"

He smiled; Clarisse, the Clarisse he knew, seemed to be coming back. "May I have this dance, my fair lady?" he asked, bowing his head and offering his hand.

"Certainly" she stood up and did a courtesy, smiling playfully, and took his hand. He led her to the dance floor, just as a romantic song began.

_You'll never find, as long as you live_

_Someone who loves you tender like I do_

_And you'll never find, no matter where you search_

_Someone who cares about you the way I do_

They started dancing, and Clarisse, recognizing the song, locked eyes with him; it would be possible for her to tell him everything through the lyrics of this song? She tried to put as much emotion as she could into her eyes, and she could only hope he understood.

_I'm not bragging__ on myself, baby_

_Cause I'm the one who loves you_

_And there's no one else!_

_No... No one else!_

He smiled at her, but she kept her expression serious. She knew this was the moment she had been waiting for. She would finally tell him about her feelings, but on her own way.

_And you'll never find, it'll take the end of all time_

_Someone to understand you like I do_

They danced around the floor so caught up in each other they didn't notice people stopping and staring; the dance floor was clear now, they were the only ones dancing.

_I'm not trying__ to make you stay, baby_

_Cause I'm the one who loves you_

_And there's no one else!_

_No... No one else! _

Charlotte and Mia looked at each other, both understanding the meaning of the song. They mentally crossed their fingers and hoped everything turned out the way they wanted it to.

"Darling, could you tell me why people are staring at Joseph?" Heather whispered in Mia's ear.

"They aren't staring at him, they are staring at the Queen dancing so perfectly with her Head of Security" answered Mia, annoyed.

"Oh, right. It's so easy to forget Clarisse's the Queen. She doesn't act like one" said Heather, chuckling.

Charlotte, knowing Heather was trying to offend Clarisse, retorted, through her gritted teeth "Yes, I see your point. She is the most powerful woman of Genovia, and yet, she treats everyone the same, with her usual kindness, she is simple and sweet…" She didn't have the chance to finish, for Mia, who was losing her patience, told them to be quiet and to listen to the song.

_You're gonna miss my loving_

_You're gonna miss my loving_

_You're gonna miss my loving _

_You're gonna miss my loving_

_You'll never find_

_Another love like mine_

_Someone who needs you like I do_

Clarisse was completely unaware of the people whispering; she saw anyone but Joseph. He was looking at her with such intensity, could he had understood what Clarisse had wanted to say without words?

_I'm not bragging on myself, baby_

_But I'm the one who loves you_

_And there's no one else!_

_And there's no one else!_

_You're__ gonna miss my loving_

_You're gonna miss my loving_

_I'm gonna miss your love_

_You're gonna miss my loving_

_I'm gonna miss your love…_

"Joseph, about that friend of mine you said you've found…" Clarisse started, but it was too late: the song had ended and people were clapping so loud she wasn't sure Joseph had heard her.

He held her hand and they walked out of the dance floor, just as the other couples returned and a more agitated song started playing.

"Charlotte, I'm leaving" said Clarisse, and walked towards the car, leaving a very confused Charlotte to warn the others, call Shades to open the car, and tell the Prime Minister the Queen wouldn't be dancing the Genovian Waltz.

Five minutes later, the group was already making their way to the palace, Shades driving and Charlotte on the passenger seat, and the four others in the back. They drove almost completely in silence, for they were all very tired from the events of the day. Almost completely because Heather insisted in making her beautiful voice heard and complain about how they've left too early, and how she would lo-o-ve to come back the next day_. Heavens, that woman talks too much,_ thought Clarisse.

A couple of hours later, Clarisse stood on the balcony of her suite, staring at the moon. She had never really been a night person, preferring the sun and its light. But she stood admiring the beauty of the stars, refusing to act like a fool and wish upon one. She replayed the events of the day on her mind, as it was her habit. She knew that there was something else in Joseph's eyes when they had danced La Vie en Rose, and that same something could be seen while they swayed together to You'll Never Find Another Love. She sighed and went back to her bedroom; would she ever be able to identify what that 'something' in his eyes meant? Time was passing her by; soon it would be too late. She made a mental note to ask Joseph when he would be getting married, and, tired, went to sleep, the lyrics of her favorite song echoing inside her mind.

_Those eyes, which make me lower mine_

_That laugh, which vanishes on the lips_

_The unretouched portrait_

_Of the man to whom I belong_

_When he takes me in his arms_

_He murmurs to me_

_I see la vie en rose_

_He speaks so lovingly_

_In everyday words_

_And that does things to me_

_He has opened my heart,_

_To a share of happiness,_

_Of which, I alone know the cause._

_He is for me; I am for him in this life._

_He tells me so, has sworn it, for life._

_And, as soon as I realize it_

_Then inside myself_

_I feel my heart beating_

_The nights of love to die for_

_A great happiness which just happens._

_Erasing all sadness And tedium_

_Happy, happy at my own pleasure._

_When he takes me in his arms_

_He speaks to me so softly, and I see_

_La vie en rose_

_TBC_

_A.N.: WOW, that was a loooong one, huh? Hope it made up for the time I spent without posting a thing. I'm so glad you guys liked the last chapter, I received many reviews and it made me so happy! So, as usual, my lovely reviewers:_

_Zsulie – Thank you so much!!_

_JUJUChick16__ – Here are those CJ moments, I hope you like it. _

_LochinbluSpirit__ – Thank you, thank you, thank you!!_

_VictoriaGrant__ – That would be a dream, Maggie Smith AND Julie Andrews in the same movie, plus, KILLING HEATHER! –sighs dreamily-_

_bluegirl-783__ – Thank you much, I'm really glad you liked it!_

_Captain Weirdo__ – That is interesting, ordering Joseph to shoot her – thinks about it – maybe I'll use it..._

_LadyLuxembourg__ – Wow, thanks! I'm glad you did! _

_Clarisse Renaldi__ – Yes, we make it always happy!! Okay, I'm shutting up, in case people start getting any ideas._

_Ilse O'Hara__ – I included the writers I know and like, so, since I have never read anything by Victor Hugo, and the books I've read by Dumas and Louis Stephenson I didn't really like… Thank you, I always worry a lot over the dialogues._

_Minerva M McGonagall__ – Hey, thank you! It's so good to see a MMAD fan here!!_

_Now, my vacations are gonna start soon, YAY! It means more chapters. Hopefully, a short one will be up on June, 28__th__, the last day of the fair. And also my birthday. By the way, thanks to Liz for the wonderful early birthday present. I loved it, as always._


	12. Room for One More

_A.N.: I decided to use the best suggestions you girls gave me, so I want to thank Captain Weirdo, __missqueenlilian__, and Thena and Blue, from whom I stole some lines. Anyway, thanks for the wonderful ideas._

Chapter 12 – Room for One More

The sun was already up in the sky and Clarisse had not even closed her eyes, no matter how tired she had claimed herself to be. Rolling over and looking at the clock on her bedside table, she found out it was 9:30 am. Where had all those hours gone? She didn't even blink throughout the whole night, but she didn't notice time passing by; just a reminder of how she was running out of time. Deciding it was time to get up, Clarisse got out of bed and, after doing what Rupert had once called her "morning rituals", dressed herself quickly and walked down the stairs to the room where she would be having breakfast. Surprised when she found the table was not set, a guard informed her that the meal was being served in the garden parlor, upon a request of Princess Mia. Confused, Clarisse made her way through the gardens, thinking that she used to have her bodyguard accompanying her every time she would walk out of the doors of the palace. Before Joseph, she had always thought it was unnecessary and even silly to have someone following her practically twenty-four hours a day, but when he came and soon filled the position of her best friend, she found herself longing for the time when he would have to walk with her. Too bad they didn't happen anymore.

"You know, I rather liked your idea, Mia" Clarisse heard Charlotte's voice.

"I am a genius, if you didn't notice" Mia retorted.

"Your Majesty!" Charlotte was the first to spot a Clarisse half-hidden by the plants, and stood up to greet her.

"Finally, Sleeping Beauty" said Mia as Clarisse sat down beside her.

"If you knew how much I slept last night you wouldn't be saying that" answered Clarisse, pouring tea on her cup.

"That bad, uh? I didn't sleep much either" Mia said.

"You don't have to get up the next day to rule a country" Clarisse said darkly.

"Oh, my, aren't we on a mood today? But don't worry, grandma, me and Charlotte are here to light up your day"

"Oh, dear" Clarisse let out an exasperated sigh.

"That's right. You see, since Joseph and Heather are off to the fair, we decided to have a little bit of fun"

"And how, pray tell, are you two amusing yourselves?" Clarisse asked.

"I don't think you would want to know, Your Majesty" Charlotte said timidly.

"Charlotte, how many times have I asked you to call me Clarisse? And Mia, please say what you two were talking about, God knows I could use some laughs now." Clarisse said, turning from one woman to another.

"Okay. But first I have to ask you not to reprehend us in any way. After all, it's just a little bit of fun, as I said"

"Amelia, I'm beginning to think Charlotte is right: I don't want to know"

"Oh, tosh! You'll love to know. We decided to create a manual"

"About what?"

"The name of it is 'Creative Ways to Kill Heather'" said Mia, obviously proud of herself.

"What?!" Clarisse gasped and almost choked on her tea.

"Clarisse, what Mia is trying to say is that…" Charlotte started, but Mia cut her off.

"First way: Strangle her to death and call it an accident. She merely slipped and broke her neck" said Mia dramatically, faking sadness. She looked at Clarisse, who showed no emotion, and went on.

"Second way: Poison a pie and give it to her as a wedding gift"

"I like that one" Clarisse said, much to Charlotte and Mia's surprise.

"Great. Third way: Push Heather off some balcony and be done with her."

"That's my favorite this far. Simple, but effective, and we could always claim suicide." Charlotte said, glad the game seemed to have Clarisse's approval.

"Fourth way: Forbidding any young and hot men to come near her"

"I don't see any point on doing this" Clarisse said, confused.

"She would die of boredom" Mia stated matter-of-factly.

"Fifth way: as an experiment, Amelia Renaldi, Princess of Genovia, drops a tomato from the palace roof and its increased velocity/mass kills Heather when it hits her."

"Very intelligent one, Mia" said Charlotte.

"Actually, I read this on the internet. Sixth way: As a diversion, Heather begins throwing pencils into the ceiling. She throws one the wrong way. It falls earthward towards her head, point down."

"Ugly" Charlotte said.

"Agreed" Clarisse voiced her opinion.

"Seventh way: She gets kidnapped and held hostage for £100. Nobody wants to pay and the kidnapper can't listen to her whining. She dies."

"Ugh, Mia, you're evil"

"You don't know half of it, my dear Charlotte. Eighth way: She starts talking and finally bore herself to death"

"Unlikely" Clarisse smiled.

"Highly" Charlotte agreed.

"Ninth way: In the fair she is _right now_, someone ask for a volunteer for the human cannonball. She volunteers. There is a tragic accident."

"Tenth way: two secret FBI agents decide Heather is a dangerous alien life form and kill her."

"Oh, Men in Black?" cried Charlotte. When Mia and Clarisse looked at her, confused, she explained "It's Shades favorite movie"

"The name of that movie always reminded me of Joseph" said Clarisse.

"Yeah, and I wonder why. Eleventh way: Lord Voldemort and Harry Potter are dueling. She walks across the crossfire, and ends up saving Harry from the flash of green light"

"She would die in a heroic manner. We can't have Harry Potter dead, now, can we?" Clarisse was amused by her granddaughter's creativity.

"Twelfth way: For no apparent reason, as always, an Acme piano falls from the sky and lands on her."

"Amazing. How many more do you have?" asked Clarisse.

"A few. Thirteenth way: She goes back to America by plane. She sits beside Miss Fran Fine, who talks for five hours straight. Heather gets off the plane long before it lands"

Clarisse couldn't help herself, she laughed; if not for what Mia was saying, then for the way she was saying it.

"Fourteenth way: She decides to get a cat for a pet. It gets so annoyed with her voice that it stabs her to death"

"Poor kitten. Must have hurt" smiled Charlotte, enjoying the situation immensely.

"Fifteenth way: In the interest of "scientific experiments", Amelia Renaldi, Princess of Genovia, forces her to listen to the crazy frog song for a week straight. When darling Mia goes check up on her, she discovers darling Heather's brain has melted" Mia said, battling her eyelashes.

"Wonderful but only one tiny, insignificant detail: she doesn't have a brain" said Charlotte.

"I can dream, can't I? Sixteenth and last way, and my absolute favorite one: We order Joseph to shoot her! Ta-dah!!"

Charlotte and Clarisse laughed and clapped, while Mia bowed and thanked. After a while, they returned to their meal and ate in silence, until Clarisse broke the silence.

"It would really be terrific if we could order Joseph to shoot her, wouldn't it?"

"Order Joseph to shoot whom, darling?" the three women sat at the table heard the unmistakable voice of the woman they were plotting to kill.

"Hello there, you two." Mia said, turning to stare at Heather and Joseph, who stood hand in hand at the entrance of the parlor.

"What were you talking about, Mia darling? Surely Joseph can't shoot anyone, he would get arrested" Heather said, her eyes widening dramatically.

"Not exactly" Joseph said, smiling.

"Why?" Heather asked.

"He has diplomatic immunity in 46 countries" Clarisse found herself saying abruptly. _Oh, great. Now we are back at finishing each other's sentences. _Joseph seemed to be thinking the same thing, for he looked at her and smiled knowingly.

"Oh, really? That's interesting, darling" Heather said obviously not caring, and sat down beside Charlotte to have breakfast. Joseph remained by the door.

"Were you thinking of ordering me to shoot someone again, Clarisse?" Joseph smirked.

"As much efficient as you are, no. Not after last time." She smiled playfully.

They reached the desired effect. Heather, Mia and Charlotte gasped audibly and to say they were surprised would have been an understatement.

"What? Did you shoot someone, Joe?"

"Who?"

"And why, darling?"

"Shall we enlighten them, Clarisse?"

"It would be too evil to leave them in the dark, wouldn't it?"

"Undoubtedly"

There it was, the easy and playful dialogue. Where had it been hiding for the last months?

"Well, then… Why don't you start, Clarisse?"

"Alright. Many years ago, a very famous friend of Rupert's, upon his request, came to Genovia to spend a few days with us in the palace. The man was Cary Grant."

"What? You met Cary Grant? He was a friend of Grandfather's? Joe, did you _shoot_ Cary Grant?" asked a flabbergasted Mia.

"Didn't he die of cerebral hemorrhage or something like that?" said Charlotte.

"Who is Cary Grant?"

The question came from Heather, making the other occupants of the parlor to look at her surprised.

"Grandma, why did Joseph shoot Cary Grant?"

"I didn't shoot him. Almost did" Joseph said.

"Let me explain it properly. Mr. Grant came and spent nearly a month here. I was getting extremely tired of him. Honestly, the ego of that man!" Clarisse said.

"Long story short, he made a pass on Clarisse" said Joseph

"No, he didn't!" exclaimed Mia

"Thank you, now you've just destroyed the sacred image of my favorite actor" said Charlotte sadly.

"Who is Cary Grant?" Heather asked again, but everyone ignored her.

"I became so infuriated that, in the spur of the moment, I locked myself in the library and said to Joseph, who was trying to get me out of there, that I couldn't look at the face of that man again and that I would only step out of that library if he shot Mr. Grant"

"Did you really say that, Grandma?"

"Oh, yeah, she did. And there I went to fulfill her wishes, as always" Joseph said, in mock frustration.

"Did you shoot someone, darling?" Heather asked, now annoyed of having been ignored for so long.

"I actually went in search of him, only to find him in the gardens flirting with one of the maids. I was struck by a sudden idea. I hided myself in the bushes, took out my gun and shot in the air" Joseph said, remembering fondly the situation. "He jumped and ran towards the palace, screaming like a little girl, and colliding with…"

"Me, who had ran out of the library upon hearing the gunshot. I really thought Joseph had shot him." Clarisse continued, smiling.

"And, if I remember correctly, that collision gave you a great bruise on the forehead" said Joseph to Clarisse.

"Yes. The amounts of make-up I had to use to mask it!"

"Great story!" said Mia, looking at Charlotte.

"Yeah, great story. Excuse me guys, I'll just drown in some Cary Grant movies and try to forget he has ever made a pass on Clarisse" Charlotte said, getting up and leaving, disturbed.

"Poor dear. I had forgotten he is her favorite actor." Clarisse said.

Joseph was sat by now, beside Heather. The four people fell into a comfortable silence, interrupted minutes later, by Heather:

"But who the hell is Cary Grant?"

Oooooooooooo

Later on, right after having lunch in the parlor, in the same way they had had breakfast, Clarisse found herself strolling alone through the gardens, having dismissed Mia's company. The walk was a lonely one, and she was aware of that. Stopping sometimes to smell a few roses, she wondered what was going on between her and Joseph. The night before, when they had shared a dance at the fair, her dear Joseph seemed to be back, at least for a while; then again, when they were telling the story while having breakfast. But then Heather came and the spell was broken. They seemed to be in a roller coaster: sometimes they would be happy and at ease with each other, and even the harmless flirting would make its presence known. But other times, Clarisse would think Joseph didn't even know she existed. She didn't know what to do; she didn't even understand what was happening. And, not understanding, how could she fix things? Was there something she could fix? Sometimes she was so sure of herself, so sure of what she and Joseph would be someday, but most of times she felt hopeless and helpless, knowing she could do nothing to prevent him from getting married. She turned around when she heard the unmistakable footsteps of the very man who occupied her dreams.

"You seem to be making a habit out of walking alone through the gardens" he said.

"What else can I do, if my bodyguard seems to have found more interesting things to do than protect me?" Clarisse said, in what she hoped was a playful tone.

"You know I put your safety above anything else."

She nodded, and continued walking, knowing Joseph would follow her. He didn't stay one step behind, but beside her, as I was their habit when they were alone.

"I thought you would be with Heather now" Clarisse said, after a while.

"She felt sick after lunch and I offered to drive her home, but she took a cab"

_Oh, so she does have a home? I thought she was living in the palace,_ thought Clarisse bitterly. "Oh, pity. I hope is nothing serious" Clarisse said, and couldn't help but think she didn't care one bit if it was serious or not.

"I don't think so"

There was nothing more to say now, she thought. She couldn't tell him everything now, her courage failed her. The courage, which sometimes was beautifully hidden and other times, painfully visible.

The silence would soon turn unbearable. They were saved from the awkwardness, though, by Mia and Charlotte, who had had the same idea of a quiet walk in between the flowers. The four people walked in silence for a bit, Mia and Charlotte sometimes exchanging looks and giggles, making Clarisse think that, if it had something to do with their manual, she didn't want to know anything about it. They walked like four longtime friends, which in a way they were, and Clarisse almost smiled upon realizing that. The spell was broken, as always, by Heather, who came in their direction almost running, making Clarisse wrinkles her nose in disapproval.

"Oh, Joseph!" she said smiling, and threw herself into his arms "Oh, darling!"

By the look on Joseph's face, it was easy to tell he didn't have a clue as to what was happening. However, Heather didn't give him the chance say anything, for she stepped out of the embrace and started talking animatedly.

"Oh, darlings, I'm so glad you're all here! It will save me time, that way!"

Mia had a weird and even funny look upon her face, and opened her mouth to say something, but Heather spoke first.

"You all won't believe what I found out just now"

"No, we won't" said Mia under her breath. If Heather heard, she chose to ignore her.

"Well…" she looked at each one of the four people, smiling expectantly. She took Joseph's hand within her own, and said very loud, very clear and in a very annoying sing-song voice:

"I'm pregnant!"

_TBC_

_A.N.: I seem to be making a habit out of writing long chapters, but I don't think you guys mind. The title is a Cary Grant movie and I thought it fits this chapter, don't you? Anyway, thanks to everyone who reviewed last chapter: __Captain Weirdo__, __JUJUChick16__, __LadyLuxembourg__, __addlogcon__, __bluegirl-783__, __Minerva M McGonagall__, __missqueenlilian__, __Clarisse Renaldi__, __hopelesslyplotless__, __Poppinswannabe__, Tamara, __The Honourable Takeshimus__ and __Incantevolle__(ah, finalmente uma brasileira!). By the way, yesterday, June 28__th__, was my birthday! So how about leaving me a birthday present, uh? Press the lilac button and review._


	13. It Only Hurts When I Breathe

Chapter 13 – It Only Hurts When I Breathe

"_You all won't believe what I found out just now"_

The words echoed inside Clarisse's head as she quickly made her way back to her suite. No matter how much she tried, she couldn't block the access of Heather's voice into her mind.

"_I'm pregnant!"_

She couldn't believe it. How had this happened? Alright, she knew exactly _how _did it happen, and rather not think about it. But these sorts of things were supposed to happen after the couple was married, weren't them? Or was she just too old-fashioned?

"_We really should start thinking about names, darling"_

How she wished Heather had never appeared in their lives. That way Clarisse would be free of worrying about Joseph's upcoming wedding or the annoying voice of his wife-to-be.

What now? She wouldn't, couldn't tell Joseph about her feelings, not with Heather expecting a baby. She remembered she had not even stayed to see how he had reacted, having claimed a headache and the need to lie down. But surely he must be thrilled; Joseph had always loved kids, and the idea of having one of his own certainly had sent him over the clouds.

"_Isn't it wonderful__, Joseph darling?"_

Deep down, Clarisse knew what would happen next, she just didn't want to acknowledge it. Heather and Joseph would get married, he would think she is the most beautiful pregnant woman on the world –because, Clarisse knew for experience, that's how men react when they're about to be fathers-, and they would raise a beautiful baby that would have the same brown eyes as his father. They would make a wonderful family, and maybe even have some more kids along the way. Joseph would live happily ever after, and not with Clarisse.

"_Yes, it is, Heather"_

Oooooooooooooo

"Do you really think she is pregnant?" Mia asked.

"Does that make any difference?" Charlotte said in response

"Maybe not. But what do you think?"

"I expect anything from Heather, wouldn't be surprised if we discover she isn't pregnant"

"Well, Charlotte. It _does_ make a difference if we can prove she is not pregnant" Mia said.

"Oh, goodness, what are you planning, Mia?"

"Me? Nothing. I was just wondering how long it will take until her belly starts showing"

"About three or four months. Why?"

"These will be the longer four months of my life. I can barely wait" Mia said, smiling, rubbing her hands in anticipation, her eyes twinkling in a way that made Charlotte don't want to know the meaning of.

Oooooooooooooo

"I haven't had the chance to congratulate you yet. You're going to be a father" Clarisse said.

"Yes" Joseph stared into the distance.

After dinner, Clarisse had taken a walk through the gardens. Soon Joseph had joined her and they had walked in a comfortable silence for a few moments, until Clarisse had felt the need to speak.

"Are you happy?" Clarisse looked at him for the first time during their walk.

Joseph startled, seeming to come out of a dream "What? Oh. I don't know. I guess I'm still in shock"

"You'll find you're the happiest man on the world, once the information sinks in" she said, bending slightly down to smell a particular rose.

"How was it?" he asked suddenly.

"What?"

"When you got pregnant. Were you happy? Were Rupert happy?"

Clarisse sighed before answering, glad the attention was being taken away from Heather's current situation "I imagine that, at first, Rupert was happy because he was having an heir. I think he had only grasped the meaning of being a father when Philippe was born, and that was when Rupert started to really love his son, and to see him as more than just his successor to the throne."

"And what about you?"

"I have never told anyone that, when I discovered I was pregnant, I was devastated. I was too young, and though I knew it was my duty to provide Rupert with a son as soon as possible, I still hoped it would take longer for me to get pregnant than it did. I'd always loved kids, but was unsure if I could be a good mother. And you know me, I never do things halfway. I wouldn't have the baby and shove him away for the palace nannies to raise. My son, my responsibility. And I wanted to be able to be the best mother in the world. I'm still not sure if I was" her voice held a regretful tone.

"Clarisse, I'm sure you did more than your best. Philippe and Pierre had turned into brilliant and noble men, because of what you taught them. Do not think for a minute that you could have done more, taught more, said more"

She smiled sadly. He had always had the power of making her believe everything he said. If he said she had been a good mother, what choice had she but take as true whatever words those brown eyes whispered her way?

"And here comes another phase in your life: pregnancy."

"You make it sound as though I'm the pregnant one" he chuckled.

"Do you think Heather will be the only one suffering with the hormones, with the cravings? The anger surges will be most likely directed at you, and you'll be the one waking up in the middle of the night to buy her the most obscene types of food."

He said nothing for a while. When he talked, it was easy to see he was frustrated, desperate even.

"I wasn't planning on this. I've never wanted her to get pregnant" he looked at Clarisse, his eyes pleading for her understanding.

"Well, Joseph, this sort of things happens, especially when you…" she was too much of a lady to say it.

"But you know what it's strange? We've only gone to bed twice."

That was something Clarisse had never felt the need to know about. "Does Heather want the baby?"

"It seems she does"

"I know you. Abortion is not an option, is it?" she said knowingly.

"Yes, you know me more than I do myself. No, it is not. We will keep the baby."

It was nothing she hadn't expected. She knew that, no matter what, Joseph would never think of telling Heather to abort. Then, why was she feeling that way, as if all the hope she had had been crushed? She hadn't kept her hopes up; she knew what Joseph would most likely do. Why couldn't her heart stop bringing her so much pain?

"Will the wedding be anticipated?"

"I don't know. I have a feeling Heather will not like getting married with a huge pregnant belly. She will either want to marry as soon as possible or to only have the wedding after the baby is born"

_Oh, no. Please, don't make her want to wait nine months. _She wanted this whole thing to be done and over with. She couldn't bear seeing Heather's belly growing; knowing inside of it there was a baby whom Joseph was the father of. She couldn't wait nine months of suffering, knowing she could still tell him, but also knowing she would never. How could she ever find the nerve to destroy a family in the making? She couldn't. Why don't they just get married now and spend a year in Hungary? Better yet, Brazil, across the ocean. Far enough. She could even pay for this vacation, for God's sake! What she didn't want was a pregnant woman on the castle, not if that woman was Heather Morrison, soon Bonnell.

"You will be a good father, Joseph" she resisted the urge of cupping his cheek with her hand, a gesture she had done countless times throughout the years. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go back inside"

She went back to the castle not waiting for him to speak, not wanting his voice following her. As soon as she stepped in her suite, the door slamming loudly behind her, she made her way to the bed and sank down it, not caring if she wasn't acting as a Queen should. In her mind, thoughts of everything that had been happening lately flashed quickly. All the changes in her behavior and thoughts concerning the marriage; looking back, the fact that Mia and Charlotte had been planning a way to make Joseph give up marrying Heather seemed so utterly silly. _Do they have a plan for situations like this one? 'What to do when the man you love is getting married to another woman and that woman is pregnant', they should write that manual, not one with creative ways to kill someone._

She rocked herself to sleep, and dreamed of the moments when she had been truly happy. Surprisingly or not, all those moments had one thing in common: Joseph.

Oooooooooooooo

The next day, the third one of the Genovian Entertainment Fair, was also one of the most important holidays in the country, when the people celebrated the fall of a dictator and the ascension of Rupert's grandfather to the throne. It was expected from the Queen to make a speech right after the sunset, and before the musical performances start.

As Clarisse made her way up to stage, she noticed one thing was missing: Joseph was not with her. She missed the way he would put a hand on the small of her back, letting her know there was no need to be nervous, that he was right there if he needed him. Facing the crowd, she absently searched for his eyes; he was there, but not with her. He was with Heather, his arm encircling her waist, her head resting on his shoulder. Clarisse blinked a few times, trying to erase the image, but it was useless. Anyway, she had to start her speech; the Prime Minister was looking at her expectantly, probably wondering if anything was wrong, as was the crowd. Clarisse turned to the crowd, put on the beautiful smile she was known for, and greeted the people of Genovia warmly and happily. As she made her speech, the smile on her face never fading, she remembered a song she had once heard.

_Smile though your heart is aching_

_Smile even though it's breaking_

_When there are clouds in the sky you'll get by _

_If you smile through your fears and sorrow_

_Smile, and maybe tomorrow you'll _see the sun

_Come shining through, for you_

_Light up your face with gladness_

_Hide every trace of sadness_

_Although a tear may be ever so near_

_If you smile through your fears and sorrow_

_Maybe tomorrow _

_You'll see that life is still worthwhile_

_If you just smile_

_TBC_

_A.N.: First, I apologize. I was getting used, and I think you guys too, to long chapters. And know I give you this little excuse for a chapter. Second, for who may be interested, the song is Smile, by Michael Bublé. If you want it, say it in a review and I'll send it to you. Third, thanks to everyone who reviewed: __Minerva M McGonagall__, __addlogcon__, __Zsulie__, __The Honourable Takeshimus__, __Captain Weirdo__, __Clarisse Renaldi__, __JUJUChick16__, __Tamara Thermopolis__, __Clarisse-von-Trapp__ (a late happy birthday to you D),__Poppinswannabe__, __bluegirl-783__,__Incantevolle__, __green dame__, __nasimrochester__, __mapetite16__. Fourth, I hope you guys liked this chapter, and, please, review. _


	14. Toxic

_A.N.: The chapter is dedicated to Liz, because, well, she's Liz. That's enough reason._

Chapter 14 – Toxic

The last day of the Genovian Entertainment Fair. Thank God, thought Clarisse with a sigh, as she made her way through the game stands. She couldn't take anymore than that. The sun followed her, and she was reminded she would have to stay the whole day, to watch the closing festivities. She remembered that the last night of the Fair always had a performance; last year it had been the Russian Ballet. Meanwhile, she had no idea what she would do. Mia and Charlotte were nowhere in sight; Joseph was a few steps behind her, Heather beside him. She had two options: either walk beside them and risk receiving a death glare from Heather, or worse, engage a conversation with her, or keep walking pathless in search of something to keep her busy.

Finally, after what seemed hours, Mia and Charlotte came back running to Clarisse's side, breathless.

"God, Amelia, what happened?" asked Clarisse. Joseph caught up with them quickly, holding Heather's hand.

"The karaoke" Mia said, still trying to catch her breath.

"What?" Joseph asked, confused.

"Today is the karaoke day" Charlotte answered.

"And that means…" Joseph trailed off, obviously waiting for someone to fill in for him.

"That the people are free to go up to the stage and sing whatever they want, and in the end of the day, the best singer will win an award" Heather said, excited "Wanna bet I'll win this thing?" she said, turning to Mia.

"Hm…" Mia pretended to think long and hard "No, thanks. I'm sure you will win. Definitely" she winked to Clarisse, who tried to suppress a smile.

"Look, it has begun" Charlotte pointed to the stag behind them, where the Prime Minister was announcing the first contestant.

"Come, darling, I have to put my name on the list" Heather said, dragging Joseph by his arm, leaving the other three women to look stunned at each other.

"She's kidding, right?" Mia asked.

"Nope, I don't think so" Charlotte answered.

"Is she really going to sing?" Clarisse asked.

"So it seems" Mia answered.

"I'm feeling really sorry for the ears of Genovia" Charlotte said.

"Genovia? I don't give a damn about the ears of the people of Genovia; I'm worried about _my _ears. They will never be the same again after I hear her sing."

"Amelia, we can still slip away unnoticed." Clarisse said, hopefully.

"No, we can't" Mia said

"Why not?" asked Charlotte.

Mia said nothing, only nodded her head in the direction of the stage, refusing to look at it, as if the scene was too much for her to take: The first contestant was leaving the stage, and the Prime Minister was announcing the next one.

"Please welcome Miss Heather Morrison" he said cheerfully, and gave the microphone to Heather.

Mia, Charlotte and Clarisse looked at each other when the song started to play. "Oh, Heavens" they said in unison. Up in the stage, Heather smiled and waved to the crowd watching her. Everything was fine, until she started to sing.

_Baby can't you see?_

_I'm calling_

_A guy like you should wear a warning_

_It's dangerous, I'm falling_

Clarisse widened her eyes; Charlotte looked anywhere but at Heather, and Mia was trying unbelievably hard to control her laughter.

_There's no escape, I can't wait_

_I need a hit, baby give me it_

_It's __dangerous, I'm loving it_

_Too high, can't come down_

_Losing my head, spinning 'round and 'round_

_Do you feel me now?_

Mia, bent over with laughter, tried to support herself on Clarisse's arm. She wasn't prepared for what she had just seen: Heather dancing a la Britney Spears, very suggestively.

"Please tell me she is not taking her clothes off" Charlotte, who had her eyes closed, whispered to Clarisse.

"Ask Mia. My eyes are closed too"

"I wish I could close my ears" said Mia, putting her hands on her ears and still being able to listen to everything.

_Oh, the taste of your lips, I'm on a ride_

_You're toxic, I'm slipping under_

_Oh, the taste of a poison, I'm in paradise_

_I'm addicted to you_

_Don't you know that you're toxic?_

_And I love what you do_

_Don't you know that you're toxic?_

"Is she having an orgasm up there?"

"Amelia!"

"What? Listen to her voice, she isn't even singing, she's moaning"

"You know, she does an almost perfect personification of Britney Spears" said Charlotte.

"I do prefer Britney"

_It's getting late to give you up_

_I took a sip from the devil's cup_

_Slowly it's taking over me _

"I'm sure it is, Heather" Mia said.

"Amelia, stop it. Can't you recognize a good song _and_ a good voice when you see one?" Clarisse had to admit, she really tried not to give in to the laughter, but it was stronger than her.

_Too high, can't come down_

_It's in the air and it's all around_

_Can you feel me now?_

_Oh, the taste of your lips, I'm on a ride_

_You're toxic, I'm slipping under_

_Oh, the taste of a poison, I'm in paradise_

_I'm addicted to you_

_Don't you know that you're toxic?_

_And I love what you do_

_Don't you know that you're toxic?_

"Where the hell is Joseph?" Mia asked, desperate, searching the crowd for him.

"He is smart. He left" said Charlotte darkly.

"No. For God's sake, no. He has to be here when she comes down the stage" said Clarisse.

_Taste of your lips, I'm on a ride_

_You're toxic, I'm slipping under_

_Oh, the taste of a poison, I'm in paradise_

_I'm addicted to you_

_Don't you know that you're toxic?_

Heather kneeled down and smiled seductively to a man in the crowd, crawling, much like something Britney would do.

"My eyes!" cried Mia loudly.

"My ears!" said Charlotte.

"My brain!" said Clarisse.

_Intoxicate me now_

_With your loving now_

_I think I'm ready now _

_(I think I'm ready now)_

_Intoxicate me now_

_With your loving now_

_I think I'm ready now_

"If that wasn't suggestive enough..." said Mia

"She practically begged for someone to…" Charlotte was cut off by Clarisse.

"Alright, enough"

"Think she got pregnant this way? I mean, begging for people to…"

"Amelia, I said _enough_!"

"What does Joseph think about that? His wife-to-be crawling on a stage, telling someone to intoxicate her…"

"Charlotte" Clarisse warned.

"I'm not really sure he would like seeing someone, you know, hm, with his…"

"Oh, for God's sake, shut up!"

"Whoa, easy there, Grandma"

"Thank you, Miss Morrison. That was certainly… interesting" Said the Prime Minister as the song ended. Not so long after that, Heather appeared beside Mia.

"So, how did I go?" she asked, eyeing the three women.

"Great!" said Charlotte.

"Wonderful" lied Clarisse.

"Definitely, a winner" said Mia, shameless.

"Where's Joseph?" Heather asked, noticing he wasn't with them.

"He is…" Charlotte started.

"I'm right here" Joseph materialized beside Heather, smiling "You were great" he said to her, putting his arm around her.

"Thank you, darling. Come on, I have to watch the other contestants." Heather said, and left to stay in a spot closer to the stage.

"You didn't even watch, did you?" Mia asked Joseph.

"No."

"Jerk" Charlotte said.

"Well, that was a hell of a show you missed" Mia said.

"Don't doubt that"

"Oh, go to hell, Joe. You had no right to leave us here to put up with _your _fiancée" Mia said.

"Yeah, go to hell" Charlotte agreed.

"You'll send me to hell, too, Clarisse?"

"I was hoping I could be any more subtle than that, but, since you mentioned it, yes, I will. With pleasure"

The three women turned to the stage, just as an old lady begun to sing. Joseph stayed behind them, grinning.

"You know, I think you should go up there and sing, Grandma"

"No, thank you, Mia"

"I'm serious. You have such a beautiful voice" Mia insisted.

"She's right, Clarisse. Your voice is amazing" Joseph whispered on her ear, and Clarisse felt the oh-so-familiar shiver running down her spine in consequence of him being so close to her.

"Thank you, but I don't think it would be proper for the Queen to sing in a karaoke" she said as if it closed the matter.

"Always hiding behind the image of the Queen" she heard Joseph muttering. _What was that supposed to mean?_

A few hours later, the winner of the karaoke contest was announced. Thankfully, it was not Heather, it was a woman who had sung "Bennie and the Jets", by Elton John. The sun had just set, and it was finally time to begin the closing festivities.

Clarisse found herself sat in between Mia and Joseph, watching an opera. Oh, God, how much se disliked operas. Sat in the front row, she was forced to keep a smile on her lips and a dreamy look in her eyes, as if she was understanding and enjoying the performance. Being Queen was really tiring most of the times.

"It's getting close to the end" Joseph whispered on her ear.

"Thank God" she whispered back.

Heather was nowhere to be seen, probably realizing it was going to be a boring night before the rest of the crowd did. Mia and Charlotte were playing ticktacktoe, trying to hide the paper they were scribbling on from Clarisse's view. Clarisse and Joseph were pretending to pay attention to the show, but they could be seen occasionally bending their heads to share a word with each other; discussing the opera, of course. Clarisse would give anything to be able to run away from Pyrus. For God's sake, opera? Couldn't they be anymore creative than that?

What seemed an eternity later, it ended. Clarisse stood up and clapped enthusiastically, glad to be free from this torture. The Fair ended, and it would be another year until she would have to face it again. The group moved to the car to go back to the castle, and nobody asked where Heather was. They left the remains of the Fair behind, and Clarisse couldn't help but wish she could leave some other things behind, like Heather's pregnancy. It seemed a lifetime ago since she had first heard the news. Then why Heather's belly hadn't grown up? She remembered it had been only a few days ago since they all had found it out, it would take longer than that for any changes to be noticed. She only hoped she would have time enough to get ready for what was about to come.

As she entered her suite, she pushed all these thoughts aside. She had had a lot of fun on Heather's expense today, and even laughed a little with Joseph while they were watching the opera. She was on a light mood, and intended to remain this way. She deserved it, and needed a little bit of humor on her life now.

"Amelia?" Clarisse said, opening the door to Mia's suite.

"Hey, Grandma. What's up?" Mia asked, surprised to see her grandmother in her room.

"I just wanted to…" Clarisse uncharacteristically stuttered

"Wanted to…?" Mia encouraged.

"Laugh" Clarisse said shyly.

Mia blinked, confused, and kept silent for a moment, until she realized what Clarisse was trying to say.

"So…" Mia started.

"What have you brought from America?"

Mia smiled; that was a chance she wasn't going to miss. She took a box from under her bed and opened, revealing a lot of DVD's. She picked up one and waved in front of Clarisse.

"Now this one will make you laugh"

Mia turned on the DVD player and made herself comfortable on her bed, Clarisse doing the same thing. After a few minutes, what seemed like an American sitcom started.

A blonde woman and a guy who seemed like a butler were talking.

"_I find it very unseemly of Maxwell to start dating again. Isn't the customary period of mourning 10 years?" said the woman.  
_

"_Die. Let's find out." The butler answered._

As the night went by, Mia and Clarisse watched episodes of the TV show. Clarisse couldn't remember the last time she had this much fun, thanks to Mia and her 'comedy materials', as she called it. She soon found she loved whenever the butler and the blonde woman would start bantering. She thought they had a thing for each other.

"What's the name of the woman?" Clarisse asked Mia.

"Her name is C.C., and the butler's name is Niles"

"_Oooops, I'm dating myself." CC said  
_

"_Dating yourself? How pathetic. Even you can do better than you." Niles retorted._

There was also a nanny who seemed to be the most important character on the show; her name was Fran.

"_Niles, do I sound like I'm coming down with a cold?" Fran asked.  
_

"_Constantly." _

"You know, Mia, she sounds a lot like..."

"Heather. Yep, I know. Think she's her sister or something"

"_I'll bet my reputation on it!" CC said.  
_

"_Sorry, there's a five dollar minimum." Niles answered._

It was 2:40am when Clarisse finally got back to her room, feeling happy and bright. She went to sleep thinking about the characters of the show, mostly Heather's 'twin', and how much fun she had had. She had loved the show, and was still amazed with the similarities in between Fran and Heather. Before letting sleep completely overtake her, she made a mental note to ask Mia for the other seasons.

The next day, Clarisse met up with Heather when she was walking down the steps leading to the gardens. The Queen was still on a very good mood which remained from the night before.

"Oh, good morning, Fran" Clarisse said and walked past Heather, not aware of both her mistake and the woman she had left behind, confused.

_TBC_

_A.N.: My life has been so chaotic these days, so many things had happened, and it left me no time to even breathe. So I apologize for the unanswered reviews, the long time without posting, and all the e-mails I didn't answered, especially the ones by Liz and Incantevolle. By the way, Incantevolle made such a lovely poster for this fic, and I want to share with you all. So tell me if you want me to send it to you. Thank you so much, Incantevolle! Also, as always, thanks to all my lovely reviewers: __Poppinswannabe__, __green dame__, __bluegirl-783__, __addlogcon__, __Captain Weirdo__, __Clarisse Renaldi__, __Minerva M McGonagall__, __JUJUChick16__, __Zsulie__, __One Special Lana__, __risingdancer__, __Incantevolle__, __BellamortsdaughterNesha__, __Tamara Thermopolis__, __ijsboerke__, __nasimrochester__._


	15. Worth a Thousand Words

Chapter 15 – Worth a Thousand Words

"… and schedule a meeting with the Prime Minister this Friday, at 9:00 in the morning. It's about time I get back to work" Clarisse said over her shoulder to Charlotte, who followed her, trying to write down everything that was said.

It was just after lunch and Clarisse was walking through the gardens, a habit she had acquired when she got married to Rupert. Clarisse had asked Charlotte to accompany her because she had decided that no matter what happened in her life, no matter how many times her heart had been shattered to pieces, the earth wouldn't stop spinning and Genovia wouldn't stop functioning to wait for her heart break to heal.

"I believe that's all" Clarisse said, and sighed tiredly before adding "And the wedding plans?"

Charlotte kept up with her and said, surprised "What wedding? Oh, yes, the wedding. Yes, everything is fine"

"Charlotte? Is there something you are not telling me?" Clarisse asked, eyeing the woman suspiciously.

"No, of course not, Your Majesty" Charlotte answered, but upon receiving a firm glare from Clarisse, said "Alright. You know I told Heather I would need time to pull this party together, right?"

"Yes, I remember Joseph saying something about that"

"Clarisse" Charlotte said "Truth is that I do not need time. How long have I been working for you? I have pulled together birthday parties, Christmas balls and New Year's dances with days of antecedence. I could plan this wedding in a week, if necessary. I would be running around like a headless turkey, I would go mad trying to do everything alone, but I would make it. And this wedding would be no less than perfect. But I don't want to do it. I have no desire to do anything to help Heather in any way."

"Charlotte, I understand this, but sooner or later this wedding will have to happen. You can't keep pulling it off forever"

Charlotte sighed and looked ahead, staring into space. When she spoke, her voice held a frustrated tone Clarisse had never heard before. "My initial intention was to delay this wedding for as long as I could. The way I saw it, it would give you more time to overcome your fears and tell Joseph about your feelings. Either that or he would realize how unfitting Heather is for him."

"I appreciate this, Charlotte, I really do, but…"

"But none of this had happened so far" Turning to Clarisse, she said sternly "I really don't want to plan this wedding, Clarisse"

Clarisse watched as Charlotte slowly but firmly made her way back to the castle. She stood glued to her spot, wondering if she should follow the younger woman or continue her venture through the gardens, alone. According to protocol, the Queen shouldn't leave the walls of the palace without security. Knowing every move she made was being watched, she turned and looked up to the balcony where a security guard usually stayed in when she was out on the palace grounds. She had hoped Joseph would be there, and he hadn't disappointed her: there he was, dressed all in black –as usual-, sunglasses on and an expression that clearly said, 'I don't give a damn about anything'. Clarisse stood there, looking up at him for a few minutes, hoping to catch his attention. When he finally looked down at her, she smiled. Years of experience had taught her that if he smiled back, he would get down from the balcony and join her on the gardens. He had always smiled back. Except this time. He turned his back on her and walked away. She looked down, fighting the urge to cry; he had changed too much. He wasn't the same Joseph of a few months ago. Clarisse kept on walking, and it took all her energy to not hang her head down and kick rocks along the way.

"Wait for me" a voice said from behind her.

She didn't need to turn around to know who it was "Joseph" she acknowledged, ignoring the utterly silly butterflies on her stomach. He had come, after all. Was that supposed to mean something?

"Clarisse, you of all people should know my knees aren't what they used to be" he said, smiling, as he caught up with her.

She couldn't tell if it was from the relief of knowing he hadn't left her alone there, of from the happiness that being with brought, but she did a very uncharacteristic thing: giggled lightly and looped her arm through his playfully. Noticing what she had done, Clarisse suddenly grew serious and released his arm. Joseph looked at her, and while they were walking, took hold of her arm and looped it through his again. Surprised, she gave him a sideways glance and he simply whispered, not looking at her:

"Don't worry"

They walked arm in arm in silence for a few minutes and Clarisse couldn't help but think that this was the first 'friends' moment she had had with Joseph in a long time. When they reached a particular side of the gardens, where the rare flowers were grown, Clarisse let go of Joseph's arm and got closer to the flowers, stroking their petals tenderly. Saying nothing, Joseph took hold of her hand and kissed it. She looked up and blinked, confused; he merely smiled and released her hand, not taking his eyes off her. Not thinking, she cupped his cheek with her hand and caressed it softly, something she used to do often. His skin seemed foreign to her; it wasn't supposed to be like this, or was it? He leaned in at her touch, his brown eyes never leaving hers, and she felt that he could see through her soul. The wind blew strongly and messed up her hair. He lifted his hand to tuck an errand stray of hair behind her ear, his hand lingering on her face longer than necessary. She held her breath as she saw him slowly leaning closer to her face. Her mind went overdrive when her nose was almost touching his. As her eyes closed slowly in anticipation, the only thing in her mind was that this was wrong; he shouldn't kiss her. But oh, she had longed for this for so long. And then, as sudden as it has begun, the moment had ended: she opened her eyes and saw Joseph already walking back to the castle.

Clarisse was sure she hadn't imagined that, the almost kiss. She had smelled his scent, had felt his breath on her lips. He was about to kiss her, and he had realized the consequences of it before she had. She breathed deeply; she wasn't ready to go back in just yet. How could she face him again? It was hard enough to be close to him everyday, but now… Did that mean that he felt something for her? Should she talk to him about it? Closing her eyes tightly for a minute, she opened them and looked around, hoping she could find an answer in the flowers. When she was about to head back to the castle, something caught her eye, something that maybe, if she took it as a sign, would answer her last question: in the middle of roses and tulips, tiny heathers blossomed silently.

_TBC_

_A.N.: Yeah, long time without a new chapter. Yeah, short chapter. Yeah, confusing end. But I discovered yesterday that heather is a flower (and I still don't know the name of it in Portuguese), and, well, what can I say? 'This seemed a good way to end this chapter'? Anyway, thanks to my incredible reviewers: __JulieFan35__, __green dame__, __LadyLuxembourg__, __Minerva M McGonagall__, __Junora__, __missqueenlilian__, __Captain Weirdo__, __Poppinswannabe__, __bensonsmyhero__, __bluegirl-783__, BellamortsdaughterNesha, __Clarisse Renaldi__, __Zsulie__, __JUJUChick16__, missy, __mapetite16__, Tamara, __nasimrochester__, __risingdancer__, __addlogcon__, __Ilse O'Hara__, __Incantevolle__(vivo me perguntando, será que ela ainda está viva?), __Kristi-Julie__. Wow! So many reviews, I can't say how happy they make me! One more thing before I go –please ignore this, PLEASE- Liz forced me to put it here: _"Because Liz desires it, this story will never end. Please, do the favor of putting up with the fic for another 2475144522 chapters"

_Okay, seriously now (this author's note is too long for my liking), this fic is coming to an end. Just two, maybe three more chapters and I'll finally write "The End" on the bottom of it. __So, help spread the joy all over the world, and review!_


	16. Space Between Us

Chapter 16 – Space Between Us

"_And you probably don't wanna hear that tomorrow's another day, but I promise you you'll see the sun again.__ And you're asking me why pain's the only way to happiness, and I promise you you'll see the sun again"_

Clarisse sat in her office, only minutes after the incident with Joseph which took place in the gardens. She didn't know what to think, what to feel. Should she feel hopeful? After all, he had intended to kiss her. Didn't that mean anything? She definitely should talk to him before her questions consumed her. But she couldn't face him. Not now, and, she feared, not ever again. She was afraid that, if she should ever come face to face with him again, she would feel a mix of embarrassment and regret; things she didn't want to be clearly written all over her face.

She stood up and walked over to the window, her gaze being automatically turned to the sun. She couldn't describe the power the sun had over her, but she loved watching it, rising or setting, and she adored the feeling of the sunrays on her skin. Somehow, it had always helped soothe her feelings and clear her thoughts. But this time, she wasn't expecting the sun to have any soothing power over her. She was satisfied with only the silence.

The silence didn't last long, though; it was interrupted by a timid knock on the door.

"Come in" Clarisse said, keeping her back turned to the door.

"Grandma" Mia said, closing the door quietly behind her. Clarisse still didn't turn to face her granddaughter, so Mia stepped further into the room, careful not to make a sound.

"Yes, Amelia?"

Mia stopped when she was inches away from Clarisse. "I saw it"

"Saw what?" asked Clarisse, irritated, not in the mood to play games.

"What happened in the gardens" said Mia in a whisper.

Clarisse turned to face the younger woman, eyes widen.

"Did you… But, how?"

"I was on my balcony when I saw you and Joseph walking together. I was so excited to see you two on such friendly terms, walking arm in arm, that I couldn't look away. I am so sorry, Grandma, I should not have…"

"It's okay, Amelia" said Clarisse, surprising herself. Was it okay? Anybody should have seen it. That almost kiss was something she would take to her grave. Yet, there Mia was, saying she saw it all happen. Why Clarisse felt so… relieved?

"Well, aren't you going to say something?" asked Clarisse after a few minutes of an unbearable silence.

"What can I say? That I think you should have run after him? That I think you should be talking to him now, trying to understand why the hell he did that?" exclaimed Mia, getting more frustrated by the minute.

"Amelia…" begun Clarisse, but was interrupted.

"I will never understand how you can simply let him walk away after he had showed he wanted to kiss you, and do nothing!" yelled Mia.

"Amelia, keep your voice down" said Clarisse calmly.

"And how can you stay so calm? He literally walked away from you, damn it!"

"Enough, Amelia" Clarisse said, her tone firm "I will not have you saying what I should have done. What happened was in between me and Joseph, and what I decided to do, is my business"

"Nobody knows where Joseph is now, he could be with Heather!"

"And? Nothing more natural, she is his fiancée" said Clarisse, not understanding why Mia had said that.

"You will do nothing to change that?"

"For God's sake, Amelia. They have been engaged for months. I did nothing before, and I'm certainly not going to do anything now. Why should I?"

"He kissed you!"

"He didn't kiss me."

"He almost did, which is basically the same thing."

"It's not the same thing. Does that prove anything?"

"Yes, it does! He has feelings for you"

"He doesn't, Mia" Clarisse fought the urge to rest her head in the cold window glass and cry. "If he did, it would be him talking to me now, and not you"

"Maybe he thinks you don't love him, since you let him walk away!"

"Is that the only argument you have? Yes, I let him walk away. Did I have any other options?" she asked, sighing tiredly. She only wanted that conversation to be over, so she could lie down in her bed and rest.

"What about calling after him? What about grabbing his arm, keeping him from leaving? What about…"

"Amelia, it's over. It already happened, he walked away, and neither of us can change that. Let it rest"

"That's it? You're not gonna do anything?"

"I think I made myself quite clear."

"I will never understand you, Grandma" said Mia, turning around and walking to the door. When her hand came in contact with the doorknob, she heard Clarisse's voice.

"What am I supposed to do? All of you keep telling me what I shouldn't have done, but nobody told me what I should do!" Clarisse exploded, her voice neither calm or firm, but exasperated and trembling. "Tell me! What can I do? Tell him I don't want him to get married? Do you think he will break up with Heather if I told him that? Do you honestly think it is that simple?"

"Telling him how do you feel would probably help" said Mia, struggling to make her voice be heard.

"And then we will all live happily ever after? That's not the way it works. You know nothing about life, Amelia, nothing! You are a teenager! Life it is not a fairytale!" Somehow, Clarisse managed to keep her tears from falling down her face.

"If he loves you…"

"He doesn't! When will you understand that? He doesn't! He is getting married; he is going to have a son! Do you think he would let things go this far if he didn't feel something for Heather?"

"But, Grandma…"

"No buts, Amelia, please. I don't want to hear anymore of it. I made my choice, and I'm not changing my mind. I'm not going to tell Joseph I don't want him to get married. That would be completely useless." Clarisse said, calmer now, her voice returning to its usual soft tone.

"You could just explain to him…" Mia tried again.

"No. I will never explain it to him, Amelia. Never" Clarisse turned to the window, and this time, she didn't resist the urge to rest her head on the window glass.

"I'm afraid you will have to, Clarisse" Both Mia and Clarisse turned at the sound of the voice.

"Joe" said Mia, looking from the man who had just entered the room, to her grandmother.

"Could you excuse us, Mia?" asked Joseph coldly, his eyes never leaving Clarisse's.

"I, ah…"

"Leave, Mia" he said sharply, making Mia jump, startled, and leave, closing the door behind her.

They stared at each other for what seemed an eternity, not saying a word. Clarisse knew she should not let him look into her eyes; he had always been able to read her like a book. But she could not look away from his firm gaze, which now held many emotions she couldn't identify. Was that coldness in his eyes?

"Joseph" she said, hoping her voice had sounded firm and strong, masking what she felt inside.

"I supposed you should start telling me everything, Clarisse" he said, in the same cold tone he had used with Mia. She had never heard his voice like that, and it scared her.

"Telling you what?" she asked.

"Why you don't want me to get married"

"Eavesdropping, were you?" she said ironically, hoping to change the subject.

"I would hardly call it eavesdropping, judging by the volume of your voice" he said sharply "Tell me now, Clarisse. I want to know everything"

"I don't have time for this" Clarisse said, and moved towards the door, but Joseph was faster. He locked the door and pocketed the key. "Joseph, give me the key"

"What about we make a deal, uh? You tell me what that conversation with Mia was about, and I will give you the key"

"Give me the key, Joseph" she said, her eyes welling up with tears and her voice trembling with fury.

"No"

"What the hell do you want?"

"Didn't I say it?" he was visibly infuriated "Why you don't want me to get married?"

"Are you sure you want to hear it? It's a long story; won't Heather be suspicious if you spend much time locked in a room with me?" Clarisse said, with an ironic smile.

"I'm only opening that door when I am satisfied with your answer"

"Then I'm afraid we both will stay here for quite some time" she said, with the same ironic smile, the tears which only seconds ago were threatening to fall long forgotten, and sat down on the sofa.

"Sooner or later you will have to tell me"

"No. No, I won't"

She had made up her mind already. She wouldn't tell him. She knew she would have to make something up to tell him, so he would open the door, but the truth? Oh, no, the truth she wouldn't tell him if her life depended on it. She had always been too stubborn for her own good, she knew that, but she would do nothing to change it. Looking up at Joseph, feeling his eyes on her, she knew she would never, could never love another man. She also knew she would never have him.

_TBC_

_A.N.: Don't you just love a cliffhanger? Next chapter there will be the rest of their conversation. Just two more chapters and I'm done. Thanks to my wonderful, amazing, brilliant reviewers: __nasimrochester__, __Poppinswannabe__, my dearest __Clarisse Renaldi__, __Minerva M McGonagall__, __addlogcon__, __green dame__, __One Special Lana__, __LadyLuxembourg__, __OneSpecialDame__, __Captain Weirdo__, __bluegirl-783__, __Kristi-Julie__, __Madam Kookies__, __bensonsmyhero__, __marg h__, __JUJUChick16__. Also a big hug for Incantevolle (sinto sua falta), whom I know will read this sooner or later. Thanks, girls, for sticking with me until now, and please, stay with me until the end of this. The song in the beginning of the chapter is "See the Sun", by Dido; if you want me to send it to you, say it so in a review. So, as always, review, and make a girl happy._


	17. Too Close For Comfort

Chapter 17 – Too Close For Comfort

"_I'm only opening that door when I am satisfied with your answer"_

"_Then I'm afraid we both will stay here for quite some time" she said, with the same ironic smile, the tears which only seconds ago were threatening to fall long forgotten, and sat down on the sofa._

"_Sooner or later you will have to tell me"_

"_No. No, I won't"_

Minutes went by quickly and in complete silence, both Joseph and Clarisse wondering what should be said next.

"Tell me Clarisse: have you or have you not objections to my marrying Heather?"

Clarisse opened her mouth to speak, ready to deny everything, as it was her initial plan. But something inside of her told her that this was it, the most intimate moment she would ever have with Joseph, so she should be completely honest. Or, at least, as honest as possible without revealing how deep her feelings for him ran. She took a deep breath, and looked at Joseph; he seemed annoyed, irritated. Strangely, instead of scaring her, it made her stronger.

"Do you want me to be honest, or do you want to keep your conscious clean? Either way, I'll answer the same thing: Yes, Joseph, I do."

"Care to tell me what objections are those?"

She sighed; that would be a long story. "I remember the Joseph of one year ago, the kind, understandable but firm Joseph; the Joseph that disappeared when Heather came into the picture. We had a confrontation some weeks ago, do you remember? I told you that I wanted my friend back. The Joseph that I saw everyday was merely my Head of Security. You didn't smile anymore, your eyes were strangers to me and anyone could tell you're not… at ease, let's say, with the course things were taking. You're not happy. I wasn't born yesterday; I know it's because of Heather. Do you really want to spend the rest of your life that way? I only want you to be happy, to have only the best." She almost smiled; she had done a perfectly good job of masking her feelings. She hadn't lied, she really did want him to be as happiest as one could be, but she hadn't told him the whole truth, either.

"That's all?" he asked, with an ironic smile.

"What do you mean?"

"You don't want me to get married because I deserve only the best. Where do you come into the picture?" his words were hurting her, and she could tell he knew it. What had happened in between them? When had they started to take pleasure in hurting the other?

"Believe it or not, the Ice Queen can be selfless sometimes"

"That's good to know. But why don't you tell me the real reason why you don't want me to get married?"

_Oh, God, it is a never-ending thing with Joseph,_ she thought. "I told you already"

"No, you didn't"

"Joseph, I have nor the time or the patience for this right now. Unlock the door"

"Talk with me, Clarisse. You were the one complaining that we didn't talk anymore"

"What difference it will make now?"

He was still dripping acid with his voice. "You can still make me cancel the wedding"

She laughed dryly "Do you think I'm going to fall at your feet?"

"I want you to speak, goddamnit"

"I said everything there's to say" Why couldn't he be satisfied with her answer? Would he push her until she tells him everything and make a complete fool out of herself?

"You think I didn't notice? The looks you would give Heather whenever she was with me, the way you would tremble every single time I mentioned her name, the treatment you reserved for her"

_The treatment _I_ reserved for her? Oh, as if Heather was perfectly polite with me, right? Wait until Charlotte hears that one, _Clarisse thought bitterly. "She does not deserve you!"

"And because of that you've been acting that way for the past months? What kind of fool do you take me for? You have to tell me why you're acting this way, Clarisse, as if you're jealous"

She paused, his words sinking in. No, she was not jealous. Being jealous of someone means that that someone is or has something you want… Oh, right, she was terribly jealous of Heather. And that was the first time she had admitted it to herself. The shock of it was what had probably made Clarisse's next words to be out of her mouth before she could think them through.

"What? You want me to say I'm jealous? Then I'll bloody say it! I'm jealous of Heather because she has everything I've always wanted!"

He looked at her, speechless. So he hadn't seen it coming, then? She braced herself and opened her mouth to speak before he could utter a word; she knew there was no turning back now.

"You know that ever since you came in to work in the castle you were more than my bodyguard for me; you were my only company, the only one who would listen and understand me, my only friend. I never planned on not falling in love with Rupert, it just happened: we agreed we could be no more than friends. But he never understood me the way you do. I accepted that, and also accepted that you were becoming more and more important to me with each passing day. What I could, would not accept was that, at some point in my life, many years ago, I've fallen in love with you. I tried to push you away, but found that I couldn't; who would be listening to me, who would make me smile?" Tears were falling freely down her face "I knew you felt something for me, too, you had made that quite clear, in your own way. And I understood. But it wasn't meant to be. I was married, and a Queen. When Rupert died, no hope was born within me. I knew that his death, and in consequence, my freedom from the marriage, would not be enough. I was still a Queen. I took comfort in all the little gestures: a touch of hands, a dance, a smile. I knew you were there, and had no plans to leave. I used to tell myself that this, in some way, made me happy. But I knew it was not, it would never be enough, not for me, and certainly not for you. I still clung to the thought that you would never leave me; you would never move on. I told you once to go away and never return before it was too late, and I will never forget what you answered me: "It's already too late, Clarisse. We are too deep into this". And I knew you were right. There was no turning back"

"Damn right it had no…"

"You said you wanted to know everything, will you let me talk?"

"Of course, Your Majesty"

She ignored his sarcasm "I got used to it, knowing there was no turning back. I didn't plan on you coming to tell me you're getting married. With a few words, you made my life fall apart before my eyes. You couldn't possibly understand what I felt when you took me in your arms, and the only thing in my mind was that you were much too close for comfort; I tried not to hope you would kiss me. Then you smiled, that heart-stopping smile of yours, and told me you were engaged." She gave him a sad smile when she saw his expression had not changed since the moment he walked into the room. Maybe she would make a fool out of herself, after all "I didn't know what to think. On one side, you were visibly happy, ready to start a life with someone else, but on the other side, where would that leave me? We had silently agreed upon not leaving each other, many years ago. And for the first time in my life, I felt completely, absolutely alone."

She paused, not for effect, but to wipe the tears off her face. When Joseph opened his mouth to speak, she held up her hand.

"Please, Joseph, let me say everything now, or I won't be able to say it anymore." She paused again, and looked out the window. The sun stroked her face gently; she turned back to Joseph more confidently. "Then I met Heather, and didn't think she was right for you. I really tried to like her, but… Maybe she really is a good person, but I'll never know, because I'll never be able to look at her and not see her as the woman who stole the only man I could ever love from me." She turned to the sun again, her back to Joseph. "But I never really had you. I know that now. I've read somewhere that 'if you love somebody, let them go. If they return, they were always yours; if they don't, they never were'. You were never mine. I just didn't know how to accept this. You'll never return." She looked over her shoulder at him. "Not that I expect you to. You are getting married; you have a baby on the way…" she trailed, not knowing what more she could say.

"Are you done?" he asked, and she flinched when she heard the coldness in her voice. She nodded, not able to speak. If Clarisse were looking at Joseph, she would have seen how he closed his eyes for a brief moment, as if hoping for strength, and looked down for a few minutes before saying, "Now it's my turn"

Clarisse started to move around to face him, but decided against it.

"My version of the facts is not very different from yours. After all, we have both gone through the same things" he paused, not knowing how to continue "I have loved you my whole life, Clarisse. But it wasn't enough. We would have to move on eventually; do you really think we could live our whole lives that way? Together, but not exactly together? I waited for you, but there was a point when I realized I would wait forever. I met Heather, we liked each other, and… well, you know the rest"

Joseph was now pacing the room, as Clarisse fought the urge to ran into his arms and cry her heart out. But no, he had seen her crying, and that was enough for today.

"Will you open the door now?" she asked.

"What? I didn't even begin to tell you what the things I have to tell you"

"You don't have to tell me anything, Joseph"

"Yes, Clarisse, I do"

"I understand. It's simple: you loved me, we couldn't be together, you met Heather, you don't love me anymore!" She said in one breath "Don't say anything else, Joseph, please. Just leave me. I've gone through so much already"

"Clarisse…"

"I know you're going to marry Heather, you're going to have a baby, and there will be no place for me in your life. That's the way it should be"

There was silence in the room, filled with sadness and regret. Both of them knew that this was not the way it should be.

"I say this taking the risk of sounding obvious, but, could you open the door, please?" she said, trying to light up the mood.

"I never said this"

"What?" Clarisse said, confused.

"I never said I didn't love you anymore" Joseph said, and for the first time that day, their eyes met.

_TBC_

_A.N.: Okay, this was supposed to be longer, but I split the chapter in two. But, changing the subject, I SAW MAMMA MIA! FINALLY! And it's amazing. GO WATCH, NOW! Liz, I'm sorry I didn't answer your e-mail, but I will, ASAP. Many things have happened, but, as you taught me, "instead of crying it out, write it out". Thank you for everything, girl! Now, to my wonderful, amazing reviewers (__ForeverJulie__, __LadyLuxembourg__, __Minerva M McGonagall__, __Kristi-Julie__, __risingdancer__, __Captain Weirdo__, __addlogcon__, __bensonsmyhero__, __bluegirl-783__, __clarisseandmishka__, __Poppinswannabe__, __JUJUChick16__, missy, __darkprince31__, __AlternativeRocker__, __Clarisse Renaldi__, __Tamara Thermopolis__, __Zsulie__, __OneSpecialDame__, __mary-fan__, __nasimrochester__), a big hug and a huge THANK YOU. You girls make my world go round, seriously. Now, I have two things to do (things that YOU should do as well): listen to the soundtrack of Mamma Mia!, and read the new chapter of what is possibly the best story here, "Wild Women Do And They Don't Regret It". Now off you all go, but leave me a review first! Love, Duda._


	18. Catch the Sun

Chapter 18 – Catch the Sun

"_I never said this"_

"_What?" Clarisse said, confused._

"_I never said I didn't love you anymore" Joseph said, and for the first time that day, their eyes met._

"What are you talking about, Joseph?" asked Clarisse, truly confused.

"Your whole speech is correct, except for one thing. I've never stopped loving you"

Clarisse widened her eyes. Could it be that Joseph was saying exactly what she had wanted to hear? It seemed impossible.

"But are not_ in_ love with me" she said.

"I used to think that, too" he slowly stepped towards her.

"Joseph…" she trailed off. She had to say something but couldn't think properly as he got closer and closer to her.

"This whole thing with Heather was a terrible mistake. I knew that since the beginning. The only reason I let it come this far it was because I thought, as I said, that it was time to move on" he said quietly, and if he hadn't been almost whispering on her ear, Clarisse wouldn't have heard him.

"What made you change your mind?" she asked with her breath hitching.

"I realized that, if it means I can't be near you, I don't want to move on. What you didn't consider is that you let me go once, and I returned. Don't you remember? When you told me to leave and I said that it was too late, that there was..." he trailed off, his lips almost touching hers.

"No turning back" she finished the sentence. "I remember. But what about Heather and the baby…" Clarisse said. Why the hell couldn't she keep her mouth shut? Why did she have to remind him of why they couldn't be together?

"Heather will be just fine without me"

"But she is pregnant" she insisted when she realized that she was almost pressed against the wall.

"No, she is not" he said, as if it was the simplest thing in the world.

"What?" Clarisse exclaimed.

Joseph sighed, but did not move away from her. "When I offered to go to the doctor with her, she freaked out. Said this was a woman thing. She was nervous, frantic. I got suspicious, and called the doctor she said she had an appointment with. He said he had never heard of Heather before. I confronted her, and she told me she had lied in order to keep me with her. She felt threatened by you"

Clarisse almost smiled "How long have you known about this?"

"Well, considering we've been locked in this room for the last fifteen minutes, I would say, half an hour."

She kept silent, not knowing what to say. This was it, wasn't it? The happily ever after?

"In case you didn't figure out yet, I broke up with Heather" Joseph smiled.

Clarisse didn't fight the urge to laugh. "I can't believe it"

"Well, you better" he said, and leaned down. Clarisse didn't even have the time to think, and felt his lips capturing hers in a fierce and breath-taking kiss. With uncertainty, she put her arms around his neck, just as he circled her waist and pulled her closer. She smiled against his lips, not daring to believe that this was really happening. She had thought she would never feel his lips on hers, would never feel the happiness which was only brought by loving and being loved.

Minutes later, the need for oxygen made them break apart. Joseph rested his forehead on Clarisse's, not loosening his grip on her.

"Joseph…" she began, but he cut her off.

"Clarisse, don't say we can't be together"

"I wasn't going to say this. But it's going to be hard. I'm still the Queen, and…"

"And Mia will take over the throne in a few years. When you're no longer Queen, we can talk about letting our relationship out in the open. Until that, no one will have to know about us" he smiled.

"You are alright with this?" she asked.

"If it means I can be with you, then yes, I am"

She smiled and got lost into his eyes. That man loved her. It was an amazing feeling.

"I…" she began, and paused to clear her throat. "I love you"

"I love you too" he said naturally, as if he had been saying that his whole life.

They smiled at each other and leaned down for another kiss, just as a knock sounded on the door.

"Grandma, are you still in there?" they heard Mia's voice.

Joseph sighed and kissed her forehead. "Back to the real world" He said, starting to move away from Clarisse, but she grabbed his hand, keeping him by her side.

"Come in, Mia" she said, not taking her eyes off Joseph.

"Er, Grandma? It is locked"

Clarisse looked at Joseph and they burst out laughing. He moved to the door and unlocked it.

"Am I interrupting?" said the teenager with a mischievous smile.

"As a matter of fact, yes" said Clarisse with a smile that told Mia it was no problem.

"It's just that… Well, I hate to be the deliverer of the bad news, but Heather is downstairs"

"What?" said Joseph and Clarisse in unison

"Clarisse, my dear, you're sounding repetitive" said Joseph to her with a smile.

Mia looked from Joe to Clarisse, and realized that whatever had happened in that room, they had solved things between them. Which was probably the reason why Heather was downstairs, demanding to talk to Joseph and threatening to burn the palace down.

"Okay, I'm not so sure I want to know exactly what happened here, but who cares? All is well if it ends well. Meanwhile, while you two lovebirds make up, and, I presume, make _out, _Heather is driving our guards mad." Said Mia "Joseph, could you please get down there and shove that woman out of the palace? I'm not so sure how much more of her voice I can take"

Joseph chuckled. "I'll be down in a minute. And, Mia, don't worry, you'll never have to hear her voice again"

Mia sighed theatrically. "Oh, thank you. My hero" she said, kissing Joseph on the cheek and winking to Clarisse before making her way to the door. With her hand on the knob, she paused and turned back to face them "Oh, by the way, what day is today?"

"The 21st, why?" said Clarisse

"Really?" asked Mia, her eyes lighting up

"Yes, really" said Joseph, confused as well.

"Why?" Clarisse asked again.

"Oh, nothing" the teenager said, and in a blink of an eye she was gone. But both Joseph and Clarisse could hear clearly as Mia shouted in the hall, "Charlotte, come here! You owe me 20 dollars!"

"They bet on us?" said Clarisse, surprised.

"It seems they did" he said.

"You know, Heather is still downstairs" she said, regretfully.

Joseph put his arms around her "Don't worry, Clarisse. Whatever comes our way, we'll see it through"

"I know, Joseph. I know"

They stared at each other for a few minutes, both understanding that their life together would not be easy. They would face many obstacles in their relationship, and Heather would be just one of them. But they also understood that their love, which had survived for decades, was stronger than anything life would put in their way.

_The End (not quite)_

Many years had passed since they admitted their love for each other. Mia had just been crowned as Queen of Genovia, a few days after Joseph and Clarisse had finally said "I do". The now inseparable quartet, which was formed by the just married couple, plus Mia and Charlotte, sat in the parlor, having tea.

"… I know I'll never forget the look on Heather's face when you told her you and Grandma were together, nor do I want to" laughed Mia.

"Oh, please, is that the only thing you all can talk about? Heather?" said Clarisse with a smile.

"Well, she sure gave us material for a few more years of talking about her." Said Charlotte

"I've always known she was not pregnant" said Mia.

"No, Mia, you haven't" said Joseph.

"Of course I have. Haven't I, Charlotte?"

"No"

"Well, well, well" laughed Clarisse.

"You're just envying me because I told you and you didn't want to believe, Charlotte"

"Hey, that's not true, Mia!" exclaimed Charlotte.

"Oh, _darling_, is 'Your Majesty' for you" joked Mia.

"_Don't _call me 'darling'. Ever again" said Charlotte, feigning anger.

"Don't you have a meeting with the Parliament now, Mia?" asked Clarisse, looking at the clock.

"Yes, I have" she got up "The good ones at heart, follow me" She paused, and looking at Charlotte, said, "Okay, the not-so-good ones too, because we can't leave you behind, can we, Char?"

Joseph and Clarisse laughed as Charlotte stood up, sending a death glare Mia's way. When the two women were gone, Joseph put his arm around Clarisse's waist, and whispered 'I love you' in her ear. She smiled, and rested her head on his shoulder. Minutes later, as the sun began to set and its lasts rays gently bathed the embraced couple, Clarisse thought about everything they have gone through in their relationship, and how they had finally found the happiness they had been seeking their whole lives. In that moment, being held by the man she loved, she thought that life couldn't get any better than this. She looked up at Joseph, smiling, and as he leaned down to kiss her lips passionately, she _knew _life couldn't possibly get any better than this. As Mia had once said, 'the ending is always happy', and this was exactly how her happily ever after was supposed to be.

_The End._

A.N.: I can't believe it is over. Oh, God, I have tears in my eyes now. I'm so glad I had you girls with me through this fic. Thank you all, I can't even begin to say how much happy you all have made me. I'll post an author's note later properly thanking each and every one of you. Now, to the girls who reviewed the last chapter (Captain Weirdo, Kristi-Julie, LadyLuxembourg, bensonsmyhero, my dear Clarisse Renaldi, green dame, Poppinswannabe, addlogcon, missy, risingdancer, potter-renaldi, bluegirl-783, Minerva M McGonagall, AlternativeRocker, mapetite16, JUJUChick16, ForeverJulie, One Special Lana, Zsulie, nasimrochester, CJS-DEPPendent), thank you so much for everything. Please tell me if this last chapter was worth reading the whole story. Love, Duda.


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